FAQs: AHS Bargaining

Collective bargaining is the process of negotiations between HSAA and the employer to develop and maintain the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

Collective bargaining is our Union’s most important job.  

Bargaining is collective. That means rather than negotiating your terms of employment individually, HSAA leverages the collective power of all members in your group to ensure you get the best deal possible.

This bargaining process is what shapes your Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), and your CBA shapes everything from your working conditions to your salary. The more you follow this process and participate the more likely you are to end up with working conditions that meet your needs.

The HSAA/AHS bargaining committee is made up of members, like you, who have been selected to the committee through an expression of interest, members of your Board of Directors, and HSAA negotiating staff members.

Board Members

Members at Large

Staff

These are the “asks” we make at the table. Your bargaining committee will take the results of the AHS bargaining survey along with feedback gathered along the way – from conversations with Labou Relations Officers, at Local Unit events, Annual General Membership Meetings and conferences – to develop proposals.

The mandate can be defined as instructions about the kind of agreement your bargaining committee can explore and tentatively agree to at the table. The mandate is the agreed-to limits your committee will bargain within. For example, no job or wage cuts.  

The mandate is developed based on factors such as the AHS bargaining survey, and analysis by HSAA’s researcher of comparators, labour marker data, inflation, economic landscape and emerging trends.

The collective agreement (or CBA) remains in force until the next one is negotiated and ratified, or a legal strike or lockout occurs. 

Bargaining begins and ends with you. 

It is crucial to participate and make sure that your bargaining committee knows your priorities. How can they represent you to the employer if you’re not telling them what you want? So, when your bargaining survey arrives, please complete it and be sure to encourage your colleagues to do the same. 

The work that goes into drafting and securing your collective agreement is a robust and at times lengthy negotiation between your bargaining committee and the employer. Collective agreement negotiation often sees extensive back and forth between parties.

HSAA usually starts negotiating with the employer before the expiry of your collective agreement. 

According to Alberta Labour Relations Code, HSAA sends a notice to bargain to AHS 120 days before the expiry date of the collective agreement, at earliest. After notice to bargain is given, AHS must meet to commence bargaining within 30 days, unless the parties agree otherwise.  

We anticipate starting negotiations with AHS this spring.

All AHS employees who are registered members of HSAA are eligible to vote on the tentative agreement once one is reached. HSAA will send out an email, with a secret electronic ballot to each eligible member. The voting is open for two weeks.

Members can follow the process of negotiations on HSAA’s website via our dedicated bargaining updates page tab in the Member Hub. Updates are also always emailed to members. The information shared in the updates consider the confidential nature of discussions with the employer at the bargaining table.

Only registered members who have provided HSAA with an up-to-date email address will receive email updates when they are available. Be sure that your contact information is up to date.

Your collective agreement is available on the collective agreements page. 

Sometimes, negotiations reach an impasse – the parties are far apart on issues and not willing to make concessions. In that case, either party may request the appointment of a mediator whose function is to encourage and assist the parties in reaching a settlement.  If both parties accept the mediator’s recommendations, they form the new collective agreement. 

If mediation does not result in a new contract, both sides can decide to continue negotiations, consider a strike or lockout, or, if agreed, submit the dispute to voluntary interest arbitration. There must be a 14-day cooling-off period before a strike or lockout vote can be conducted.

Ultimately the goal of collective bargaining is to get the best deal for you and your coworkers. For your bargaining committee to negotiate the best contract for you, they need to know what your issues and priorities are. The bargaining survey is an opportunity to have your desires heard and represented during the bargaining process.

Please do.

HSAA depends on you to keep your colleagues motivated and to encourage them to participate in the bargaining process.

You know best what needs to be done to provide you with a safe work environment in which you can perform to your fullest potential. You can raise issues around hours of work and scheduling, rates of pay, paid and unpaid leave, promotions, professional development, job security, occupational health and safety concerns, work-life balance, etc.