Register in DMS: HERE

Register in DMS: HERE

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

Negotiating in Crisis: Alberta’s Labour Disputes and the Fight for Fairness

By Geri Ruston

Click HERE to listen to our newest podcast.

In this episode of The Spotlight, host Geri Ruston dives deep into the ongoing labour disputes in Alberta, where public sector unions like UNA are negotiating new collective agreements amidst increasing challenges. Joined by Rick Brick, Associate Executive Professor at the University of Alberta with over 30 years in HR and management, the discussion explores the complexities of labour negotiations, including the impact of government interference, cases like Safeway’s wage rollback, and the shrinking presence of Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLA) in bargaining. The episode also touches on the struggles facing healthcare workers, the tactics used by employers, and the importance of union solidarity.

Check your (personal) inbox for the Local 196 e-Newsletter!

Click the link below to view the February edition of Local 196’s e-newsletter:

Local 196 UNA e-newsletter: February 2025

The Local newsletter was sent via MailChimp with updated member contact information from the Provincial UNA Office. It was sent to personal email addresses only. Please update your contact information in UNA’s DMS system if you have not received our newsletter.

 

Interview with Karen Kuprys, UNA 2nd VP

By Gerri Logan

Click HERE to listen to our newest podcast. In this insightful episode, Local 196 A&E Committee member Gerri Logan sat down with the 2nd Vice President of the United Nurses of Alberta (UNA), Karen Kuprys, for an in-depth discussion about her career journey, focusing on her previous role as Secretary-Treasurer of the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) from 2021 to 2024 and how it shaped her current position at UNA.

This episode provides valuable insights into the challenges faced by healthcare workers, the importance of solidarity, and the ongoing fight against privatization. Tune in for a closer look at how UNA continues to fight for nurses’ rights and the future of healthcare in Alberta.

January 2025

By Rachel Steel

Click HERE for the new spotlight on Reforming Health Care in Alberta

The reforms in health care in Alberta and the potential impact on Registered Nurses and patients in Alberta:

• The complexity of added layers and restructuring can profoundly affect the healthcare workforce.
• Restructuring AHS won’t fix a shortage of doctors, nurses and hospital beds.
• Increased political and partisan oversight can stifle innovation and collaboration.
• The restructuring may be making the nurse shortage worse.

Includes information about how to attend the second round of in-person public town halls on ‘Refocusing Health Care in Alberta.’

  Guest speaker will be Chidi Iwuchukwu

 Learn to Live Forward – Lessons in Resilience

How do you transform your fears, chronic stress, and burnouts from energy-draining experiences into fuels for your passion and purpose? Chidi Iwuchukwu has asked thousands of people this question, and the responses give true insights into what makes us resilient, optimistic, and persistent.

Kidnapped at gunpoint and held for ransom, Chidi Iwuchukwu lives to share his remarkable journey from overcoming harrowing life experiences to becoming “The PRO Guy- Persistent, Resilient and Optimistic,” and it rings true in every sense of the words. His remarkable story of survival and thriving will wow your audience. Watch as he uses impactful storytelling, insightful questions, and engagement on your stage to share on staring terror, trauma and torture in the face, coming back from the brink, imperatives of self-care, actionable insights to transform self-care ideas into reality, and practical and battle-tested strategies to build resilience.

Register for the event through DMS

Registration Deadline is February 6th at 2359h

Not a UNA member? Go to the UNA website for instructions on how to become a member.

This event is open to members & duespayers of Local 196 only.

TICKETS ARE NON-TRANSFERABLE.

Registration must be completed using a non-AHS email.

Questions/Dietary requests? Please email Local196Education@una.ca

• If you have registered and can no longer attend, please cancel your registration in DMS or email Local196Education@una.ca before the registration deadline.
• If the deadline has passed and you wish to be placed on the waitlist, please email Local196Education@una.ca

Check your (personal) inbox for the Local 196 e-Newsletter!

Click the link below to view the January edition of Local 196’s e-newsletter:

Local 196 UNA e-newsletter: January 2025

The Local newsletter was sent via MailChimp with updated member contact information from the Provincial UNA Office. It was sent to personal email addresses only. Please update your contact information in UNA’s DMS system if you have not received our newsletter.

 

The Day of Action is an opportunity for members to connect with each other and show solidarity on the anniversary of an important milestone in UNA’s history – the 1988 nurses’ strike.

Local 196 will join the rally on January 25, 2025, from 1200-1400h in front of the Edmonton General Hospital.

Please participate as you are able.