AHS Nursing Care: The info you need for your strike vote

Your Nursing Care negotiating team is asking you to vote YES in the upcoming strike vote. The strike vote will be held from 8:30 a.m. October 30 to 4:30 p.m. November 3.

We want you to have the information you need to vote YES for strike action, and to ensure you know who to ask if you have questions.

AUPE Demands

We have narrowed our proposals down to our top 5 demands. Our demands are evidence-based, reasonable, and fair.  In fact, in many cases, the government already funds these demands for workers in the United Nurses of Alberta (UNA) bargaining unit.  Here is what we are fighting for:

1.    Fair wage increases
2.    Work-life balance 
3.    Benefits improvements
4.    Professional development support and licensing
5.    Mileage and parking

Fair wage increases

We demand that Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN) be paid 84% of the Registered Nurse (RN) wage, and that all other classifications maintain the current wage gap percentage between their classification and the LPN.

We know this is a bit confusing, but this round of collective bargaining requires creativity, as we saw with the UNA settlement from earlier this year.  Our rationale for this wage demand is as follows:

1.    The Health Professions Act allows licensed practitioners to carry out restricted activities, with each profession having different limits. The LPN can currently carry out 84% of the restricted activities an RN can perform. The Government of Alberta recently followed this logic when providing compensation for Nurse Practitioners—they are paid at 80% of a Physician’s compensation, in recognition of their scope of practice.
2.    HCAs will be required to be licensed professionals in February 2026. Licensing recognizes the tasks the government expects of this classification, including restricted activities. Your compensation should also recognize your skills and contributions.
3.    At the time negotiations began, the LPN's maximum hourly rate of pay was #5 across all of Canada. RNs were ranked #3 (by maximum rate of pay) at the time, and upon the conclusion of their negotiations, they were the highest-paid RNs in Canada.
4.    Within AHS, inequities exist between compensation for jobs with comparable educational requirements. For example, a Pharmacy Technician at AHS requires a 2-year diploma, but the current top pay rate is $38.98/hour. A Lab Technologist, who also needs a 2-year diploma, earns a top rate of $46.69/hour. An LPN must also hold a 2-year diploma, but the maximum rate is $36.13/hour.
5.    Inflation has significantly impacted everyone’s ability to afford the basics, and our wages have fallen behind.
6.    If we apply the UNA settlement exactly as negotiated to our wage scale, the per-hour difference for LPNs increases from approximately $15/hour to $20/hour.

Work-life balance

•    Annual hours of work reduced to 1920.75/year or 36.81/week.
•    Master rotations only changed once per year.
•    Scheduling improvements:
- No exceptions for “emergencies;"
- 2 full consecutive days off, with no on-call;
- No more than 6 consecutive days in a row;
- No more than 2 weekends in any 4-week period.  
•    On-call & Call Back:
- Increase on-call pay to $7/hour;
- On-call scheduling improvements that protect your time off.  
•    Limits on mandatory overtime.
•    Remove the cap on overtime banks.

Benefits 

•    Health benefits improvements as follows:
- All prescriptions are covered (including an appeal process should your claim be denied);
- Diabetic supply enhancements, including all types of glucose monitors;
- Increase Massage Therapy to $1000 per year with no per-visit cap.
•    Increase the Flexible Spending Account to $1750.

Professional development

•    Reimbursement of the full amount for professional licensing fees and liability insurance (for those who work 684.6 hours/year).  
•    3 professional development leave days for all licensed employees—expanding this entitlement to newly licensed HCAs.  AHS has not only said no to this proposal but has also proposed reducing the entitlement based on FTE.

Transportation costs 

•    For those employees who are required to use their car for employer business:
- The maximum non-taxable rate as set by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is currently $0.72 per km for the first 5000 km, and $0.66 per km for the remaining km driven in a year.  
- Access to parking: on-site parking (with operational plug-ins where available), at no cost for the Employee.  
•    Transportation expenses paid for callbacks. 

A strike vote helps us achieve these demands

A strike vote is a tool AUPE will use to put pressure on the employer to deliver a fair deal that meets our demands. A strong strike vote shows the employer that we are united and ready to do whatever it takes to have our demands met. 

Let us be clear: we will call a strike if necessary.

Usually, we can call a strike at any time within 120 days of the vote’s successful conclusion. As per the Labour Board's recent decision, we can call a strike by November 17 at the earliest.

Now is the time to stand up for ourselves and show this government that we know our worth and our rights.
Vote YES.

Additional Information and Resources:

Vote Information 

FAQs about Strikes 

AHS Nursing Care Essential Services Agreement: Visit https://www.aupe.org/esa#26097 then log in to MyAUPE to view the agreement. 
 
Contact information for Essential Services questions: Jeff Manuntag, j.manuntag@aupe.org

Please contact a member of your negotiating team if you have questions.

AHS NURSING CARE NEGOTIATING TEAM

Local 041

Christine Vavrik
rvavrik@shaw.ca    

Catherine Sivasankar (alt)
accb@shaw.ca

Local 043

Sandy Miller
smiller98@msn.com      

Jennifer Power (alt)
cherrigarcia24@yahoo.ca 

Local 044 

Marg Miller
marg.miller@hotmail.ca    

Jesse Philp (alt)
jreimerlpn@gmail.com

Local 045

Nancy Burton
ndburton@hotmail.com

Angela Smyth (alt)
angelscare.as@gmail.com

Local 046

Marty Roy
bargaininglocal46@gmail.com

Heather Stewart (alt)
stewart.h@live.ca

AUPE RESOURCE STAFF

Kate Robinson, Lead Negotiator
k.robinson@aupe.org

Chris Dickson, Negotiator
c.dickson@aupe.org