AHS Nursing Care workers ratify new collective agreement

EDMONTON—Over 16,000 Nursing Care members of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) who work for Alberta Health Services, Allen Grey Continuing Care, and the new pillars of health care have ratified a new collective agreement.

The agreement is retroactive to April 1, 2024, and will expire March 31, 2028.

“This was a long and frustrating process, but our members have officially raised the bar for collective agreements in this province,” says AUPE President Sandra Azocar.

71 per cent of members participated in the vote. Members working for AHS and the pillars voted 63.3 per cent in favour of the agreement. Members at Allen Grey voted 95 per cent in favour. The exception is Lamont Health Care Centre, which conducted a separate ratification vote. Nursing Care members at this site did not vote in favour of the agreement, and will return to the bargaining table.

“This collective agreement is a strong step towards the wages and working conditions our members deserve. We will be in a strong position when we begin bargaining again in 2028,” says Azocar.

Highlights of the new collective agreement include:

• Wage increases:
   
  • 23.81% total wage increases for Licensed Practical Nurses;
  • 17.05% total wage increases for Health Care Aides;
  • Retroactive wage payments to reflect these raises on hours worked since April 1, 2024.
• Increases to shift premiums and rates:
   
  • Increase to Responsibility Premium from $1.25 to $3.50 / hour;
  • Increase to Preceptor Pay from $0.65 to $2.00 / hour;
  • Increase to the Regular On-Call rate from $3.30 to $7.00 / hour;
  • Increase to the Named Holiday On-Call rate from $4.50 to $7.00 / hour.
• Increased funding to the Rural Capacity Investment Fund, which will help recruit and retain staff in hard to recruit areas of the province:
   

  • April 1, 2024: $4.368 Million

  • April 1, 2025: $12.6 Million

  • April 1, 2026: $12.6 Million

  • April 1, 2027: $12.6 Million

AUPE is western Canada’s largest union, standing over 100,000 members strong.

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