United Nurses of Alberta (UNA) have ratified a new collective agreement with Alberta Health Services. With negotiations for the agreement beginning in early 2020, the UNA says the agreement brings an end one of the most prolonged negotiations in Union’s 44-year-history.

“The Bargaining Committee felt strongly the Mediator’s recommendation issued on December 21 was a fair deal that will benefit our members and also fair to the people of Alberta,” said UNA President Heather Smith this morning. “I am gratified that the members agreed with the bargaining committee’s recommendation and voted by 87 per cent to ratify this agreement.”

The ratification vote was held securely online throughout Tuesday and Wednesday and the results were calculated today. (Janaury 27, 2022) Ratification was completed by 130 UNA members who represent 30,000 registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses.

The new agreement which runs from April 1, 2020  to March 31, 2024 includes:

  • 4.25-per-cent pay increases over the life of the agreement. Alberta nurses will remain the highest paid in Canada.
  • Conversion of current semi-annual lump-sum payments to the wage grid.
  • A one-time lump sum payment of 1 per cent 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.

“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,” said UNA Labour Relations Director David Harrigan, who led the union bargaining committee.

The agreement also covers those are employed by Covenant Health, Lamont Health Care, and The Bethany Group.