United Nurses of Alberta has reached a Tentative Agreement on a Collective Agreement for more than 33,000 Registered Nurses and Registered Psychiatric Nurses employed by Alberta Health Services, Recovery Alberta, Primary Care Alberta, Covenant Health, Lamont Health Care Centre, and The Bethany Group (Camrose).
UNA began formal mediation in January 2025 to advance the bargaining process after a majority of UNA members voted in October 2024 to reject previous recommendations that had been reached through informal mediation.
After six weeks of formal mediation with the Employers, UNA’s Negotiating Committee strongly believes this Tentative Agreement respects nurses and will significantly improve the lives of UNA members.
A Tentative Agreement was signed this morning.
“This round of negotiations has been about Respect, Retention and Recruitment. When UNA members voted against ratifying a settlement recommended by a Mediator last October, they spoke and we listened,” said UNA President Heather Smith.
“UNA’s bargaining team agreed to a Tentative Agreement,” said UNA chief negotiator David Harrigan, UNA’s Director of Labour Relations. “We believe it is an excellent agreement.”
UNA’s Negotiating Committee recommends the ratification of the Tentative Agreement.
UNA plans to hold an online meeting of UNA Local Executives on Tuesday, March 11, at 6:00 p.m. and online town halls for members on Saturday, March 15, at 1:00 p.m. and Tuesday, March 18, at 7:00 p.m. Members will be distributed information about how to join the meetings.
A virtual Reporting Meeting of Local Representatives will be held on March 25, and the UNA Negotiating Committee will recommend a ratification vote for all eligible members on April 2.
Tentative Agreement Summary
Monetary Increases
The four-year agreement will significantly improve wages for all affected UNA members. RNs and RPNs will receive an immediate increase of up to 15% and an overall increase of approximately 20%. The RRSP/TSFA and the education allowance remain current.
Visit UNA’s Wage Calculator Tool
The changes to the Salary Appendix include the following:
- The 3% retroactive payment to April 1, 2024, will be based on the revised grid (4% between steps).
- A restructured wage grid now provides the same increase of 4% between each step.
- Immediately upon ratification of the Tentative Agreement, all RNs and RPNs will move to the next step on the pay grid, which equates to a 4% wage increase. Step 2 becomes Step 1. The current Step 1 is deleted, and a new Step 9 is created. Members on the current Step 9 move to the new Step 9.
- Members will maintain their anniversary date or hours towards the next increment.
- Pay increases of 3% per year will be added to each step of the revised grid for the life of the agreement.
There are also other significant monetary improvements in the Tentative Agreement, including:
- The on-call rate more than doubles from $3.30 per hour to $7.00 per hour.
- Charge pay will increase from $2.00 to $3.50.
- Preceptor pay will increase from $0.65 to $2.00 per hour.
- Employees required to have vehicles will receive $162.50 per month rather than the current $130.00 per month.
In addition, coverage for massage therapy is amended to $1,000 per member each benefit year with no per-visit limit.
Safe Staffing
In a new Letter of Understanding (LoU), the Employer has explicitly committed to “providing safe staffing for all patients, residents, and clients.” To achieve this, the Union and Employers have agreed to meet and identify a standardized list of clinical and operational data to form the basis of a new evidence-based safe staffing review.
This LoU includes a new provision that, in the event of disagreement, the union can submit concerns about safe staffing to an expedited review by a Safe Staffing Taskforce and, if necessary, to an outside Independent Assessment Committee.
The Employers are obligated to hire 1,000 new nursing graduates per year. These nursing graduates will be supernumerary and be assigned a Clinical Guide who will be paid an additional $2.00 per hour.
Respect
Members will now have five paid shifts for domestic violence leave.
Members will now be paid their applicable rate of pay for attendance at Occupational Health and Safety Committee meetings.
For Employees who have accumulated 684.6 hours worked, Employers will now reimburse the full cost of professional fees to CRNA and CRPNA, as well as the cost of professional liability insurance. Members can combine hours worked at more than one Employer covered by this Collective Agreement to achieve the 684.6 hours.
Employees impacted by critical incidents may now request downtime during the Shift without loss of pay.
Presumptive Coverage for PTSD and Psychological Injuries
UNA received a letter signed by Minister of Jobs, Economy and Trade Matt Jones stating a proposal will be taken to cabinet no later than June 30, 2025, to extend the Workers’ Compensation Board’s presumptive coverage to RNs and RPNs for psychological injuries related to post-traumatic stress disorder and other traumatic mental health injuries. UNA has long advocated for this significant policy change by the government.
Job Security During Health Restructuring
UNA’s Negotiating Committee received a Letter of Commitment signed by Minister of Health Adriana LaGrange assuring that any job transfers of an RN or RPN due to the government’s restructuring of public health care will be to a provincial agency or provincial health corporation, preserving affected members’ seniority, rights to the terms and conditions of the Provincial Collective Agreement, and UNA representation.
Assistance for Rural Health Care
The nurse staffing shortage has impacted healthcare workplaces across Alberta, especially in rural settings. In a renewed Letter of Understanding, the government has agreed to provide $22.5 million per year for the retention and recruitment of nurses in rural Alberta. This is a significant increase from the previous agreement’s $7.5 million per year.
UNA has complete say in how this money will be spent, and the Union and Employers may mutually agree to use these funds to target initiatives in rural worksite sites that fall within the Edmonton and Calgary Zones.
In addition, the Locum program currently in the North Zone will be renegotiated to include the South and Central Zones. This program provides incentives for staffing rural facilities and programs experiencing recruitment and retention challenges.
For more information, visit the Frequently Asked Questions about the Tentative Agreement
Additional Resources
Tentative Agreement Salary Appendix
Summary of the Tentative Agreement
Amendments to the Collective Agreement
United Nurses of Alberta, Local 196 
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