Alberta nurses formally agree to new collective agreement

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Members of United Nurses of Alberta have ratified a new collective agreement with Alberta Health Services, Covenant Health, Lamont Health Care and The Bethany Group.

The union said the new agreement, which runs from April, 2020 to March 31, 2024, includes:

• 4.25% pay increases over the life of the agreement.
• Conversion of current semi-annual lump-sum payments to the wage grid.
• One-time lump sum payment of 1% for 2021 in recognition of nurses’ contributions during the pandemic.
• Enhanced psychological and mental health supports.
• Creation of a union-employer provincial workload advisory committee.
• Implementation of a Rural Capacity Investment Fund, which will allocate $5 million a year to recruitment and retention strategies in rural and remote areas of the province, and $2.5 million a year for relocation assistance.

The vote on the new contract came after “one of the most prolonged and arduous negotiations in the provincial nursing union’s 44-year history,” UNA said in a news release Thursday.

In January 2020, AHS negotiators tabled a four-year agreement with a zero per cent salary increase for nurses each year.

The union, which represents more than 30,000 nurses in Alberta, said this is on top of other cutbacks, like the elimination of semi-annual lump-sum payments, as well as reduced shift and weekend premiums.

UNA added that employers did return to current overtime provisions as well as transportation and education allowances.

At the time, Finance Minister Travis Toews commended the “invaluable role” nurses were playing in the COVID-19 pandemic but noted Alberta needs to get its finances back on track.

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The mediator’s recommendations included: a pay increase over the life of the four-year contract that amounts to 4.15 per cent; a one-time lump-sum payment of one per cent of 2021 “in recognition of nurses’ contribution during the pandemic” and enhanced psychological supports; creating a Rural Capacity Investment Fund, allocating $5 million a year to recruitment and retention strategies in rural areas and $2.5 million per year for relocation assistance.

“The bargaining committee felt strongly the mediator’s recommendation issued on Dec. 21 was a fair deal that will benefit our members and also fair to the people of Alberta,” UNA president Heather Smith said Jan. 27.

“I am gratified that the members agreed with the bargaining committee’s recommendation and voted by 87 per cent to ratify this agreement.”

“Alberta Health Services’ willingness to move away from its initial demands for wage cuts and to drop its efforts to impose more than 200 rollbacks made this agreement possible,” UNA labour relations director David Harrigan said.

The ratification vote was done online Jan. 25 and 26 and the results were counted Thursday morning.