Negotiations 2024: Where we are and how we got here
United Nurses of Alberta has been in negotiations for a new Provincial Collective Agreement with Alberta Health Services, Covenant Health and other employers since February 2024. The new Recovery Alberta organization was added to the list of employers covered by these negotiations in July.
After coming close to an impasse in bargaining, UNA and the employers sought the informal assistance of an impartial Mediator to help them reach an agreement. Late Wednesday, October 9, the Mediator issued a recommended settlement.
On October 10, UNA’s Negotiating Committee presented the Mediator’s recommendations to a Reporting Meeting in Calgary attended by more than 500 voting delegates from all affected UNA locals.
The Negotiating Committee believes the Mediator’s recommended settlement is the best agreement that can be achieved at this time. After a full day of vigorous discussion, the delegates at the Reporting Meeting voted to put the Mediator’s recommended settlement to all affected members for a vote.
The vote will take place on October 30. The proposed contract you will vote on includes issues resolved in bargaining and the recommendations made by the Mediator.
Summary of Key Points
Wages
The Mediator recommended wage increases of 12% to 22% over the four-year life of the agreement, depending on where UNA members sit on the salary grid. First-year nurses with baccalaureate degrees and the RRSP top up would see a 12.43% increase. Members with additional years of experience and higher classifications would see higher increases of up to 22% for members who have been at Step 9 of the salary grid for more than one year. The Mediator also recommended the addition of a 10th step to the salary grid for nurses who have been at Step 9 for more than a year, calculated at 1,711.5 hours. The new hourly start rate on the salary grid will be $2.26 higher than in British Columbia and $4.54 higher than in Ontario. The top rate will be $1.72 higher than B.C. and $1.56 higher than Ontario. This will once again make Alberta nurses the highest of any of provincial agreements. Click here to see the proposed salary grid.
UNA members are encouraged to visit pay.una.ca to calculate the increases to earnings that members will see if the Mediator’s recommendations are approved.
1,000 Jobs a Year for New Grads
The Mediator’s recommendation commits the employers to hiring 1,000 new ‘supernumerary’ graduates in each year of the collective agreement. The recruitment of 1,000 graduate nurses a year in excess of baseline staffing levels for four years will provide significant support for entry into the profession of new graduates and for the Alberta Health Care workplaces where these new nurses will work. It is hoped this will provide some relief from the staffing challenges facing health care in Alberta. These new nurses will share a patient load with a “clinical guide,” who will receive a $2-per-hour premium.
Rural Capacity Investment Fund
If the Mediator’s recommendation is ratified, $22.5M will be budgeted to be spent each year to advance rural capacity under the Rural Capacity Investment Fund, which is jointly administered by UNA and the employers. Since recruitment and retention of nurses in rural and remote health care worksites has been identified as a key area of concern for many UNA members and employers, this was recognized in the 2020-2024 Collective Agreement with the creation of the RCIF. The parties may also mutually agree to initiatives to target “difficult to recruit to” rural sites that fall within the Edmonton and Calgary Zones. This is a significant increase in RCIF funding from $22.5 million per year from $7.5 million. It will help members and locals fund more projects and improvements at their worksites that are needed to retain and recruit nurses.
Safe Staffing
If ratified, the new agreement would provide an expedited process to challenge baseline staffing. The new language requires parties to identify a standardized list of clinical and operational data to form an evidence-based review of staffing. If nurses have concerns about that baseline staffing on any unit, UNA now has a timely and effective way to bring those concerns to an external Independent Assessment Committee.
Locum Program Expansion
If the Mediator’s recommendations are ratified, the Locum program, which is currently restricted to the far north of Alberta, will be expanded to include the South, Central, and North Zones with the goal of increasing the number of nurses in difficult-to-staff locations.
Enhancement of premiums, registration fees, and domestic violence leave
The Mediator’s recommendation includes increases to charge pay, preceptor pay, and on-call pay. The new agreement would also see the employers reimburse 100% of nurses’ professional association fees. If the Mediator’s recommendations are ratified, in-charge pay will rise to $3.50 per hour from $2.00 per hour, preceptor pay will increase to $2.00 per hour from 65 cents, and on-call pay will increase to $7.00 per hour from $3.30 per hour. There will now be five paid shifts for domestic violence leave.
Restrictions on new employees changing positions
UNA Locals from rural Alberta and employers have expressed concerns about loss of new staff at rural hospitals and health care centres. In response, the Mediator recommended that all new employees and casual and temporary employees hired into regular positions shall not be considered for a further vacancy for a period of 12 months from their start date in a regular position. Casual employees are defined under Article 2.04 of the Provincial Collective Agreement and temporary employees under Article 2.04 (c). This would not apply in extenuating circumstances, giving the union grounds for appeal. Nor does it apply to employees applying for vacancies in a higher-rated classification or higher FTE in the same unit, program, or office.
Conclusion
The Negotiations Committee indicated to the Reporting Meeting that it believes the Mediator’s recommendations constitute the best terms and monetary improvements possible in the present circumstances. Based on repeated statements by the Premier of Alberta on labour disputes in federal jurisdiction, and the province’s immediate action against public sector strike votes recently in Fort McMurray, the Negotiating Committee questions the likelihood the province will allow any legal strike in health care to proceed in any circumstances, and that the possibility of compulsory arbitration resulting in a superior agreement is unlikely. Nevertheless, the Negotiating Committee respects the will of the membership and remains committed to doing whatever the membership directs us to do going forward. This information is provided to assist members in making an informed decision on October 30.