AHS Bargaining Update #19

Bargaining updates

We are sharing an important update with all HSAA members about the current state of collective bargaining with Alberta Health Services (AHS). Negotiations with AHS now involves many employers given the health care restructuring over the last year, including many members working with Recovery Alberta and Primary Care Alberta. The latest developments at our largest bargaining table will impact us all.

The AHS Bargaining Committee met for informal mediation this week and no agreement was reached. The mediator has stated that no recommendation for a deal will be made at this time. Informal mediation has now ended.  

With the embargo now over, we want to provide you with a clear update on our negotiations and the next steps.

This week, AHS was not prepared for mediation. AHS’s unwillingness to move off an insulting wage offer and serious concessions in our Collective Agreement resulted in the end of informal mediation. 

What is the state of negotiations?

Their wage offer remains insultingly below inflation. 

  • AHS has offered only 10 per cent (3%, 3%, 2%, 2%).
  • We are fighting for a 20 per cent increase over four years (7.5%, 4.5%, 4%, 4%). Beyond wages, we have other important monetary proposals on the table. 

Lump sum payments are being offered instead of wage increases, effectively freezing the wages of the following professions: 

  • Health Information Management Professionals
  • Social Workers
  • Speech Language Pathologists
  • Respiratory Therapists
  • Pharmacy Technicians 

AHS is also proposing unacceptable concessions, including: 

  • EMS shift picks in Calgary and Edmonton will be eliminated. This removes our members’ role in determining their working schedules and work location, handing it over entirely to the employer.
  • Changing salary increments from calendar anniversaries to hours worked. This means our members will lose out on a pay increase if they take a leave or don’t work their full number of hours.
  • Cutting shift differential benefits by reducing the time when premiums apply, resulting in lost compensation.
  • Reducing the mandatory time off between shifts from 15 hours to 14 hours.
  • Cancelling of on-call shifts without notice.
  • Eliminating banking of on-call shifts. 

HSAA proposed improvements to our Collective Agreement that were rejected or refused to be considered by AHS, including:   

  • Improved job security.
  • Improvements to personal leave days.
  • Paid domestic violence leaves.
  • A process to address excessive workloads. 

What happens next?

Your bargaining committee believes in the collective bargaining process and is dedicated to reaching a fair deal through negotiations. However, the employer’s position sends a clear signal that this may not be possible. 

Your Union is taking the following actions: 

  1. We are filing Essential Service Agreements (ESAs) as soon as possible. ESAs are agreements that ensure critical health care services are provided in the event of strike or lock-out and are required before formal mediation can begin.
  2. We will enter formal mediation under Alberta’s Labour Relations Code. This is the final stage of mediated negotiations before a strike or lock-out can take place. 

Your Union executives are meeting to discuss next steps and will keep you informed as the Bargaining Committee continues this work. 

Who is responsible?

We want to be clear: the Government of Alberta directs AHS’s bargaining mandate.  

The government has set a legally binding mandate on monetary compensation that all public sector employers, including AHS, cannot exceed. 

AHS is proposing unacceptable concessions to our Collective Agreement and taking a disrespectful approach to negotiations. 

What is at stake?

Lump sums and wage increases below inflation are effectively wage cuts as inflation outpaces compensation. 

Our hard-fought rights in our collective agreement are being attacked, undermining our ability to maintain a work-life balance and be fairly compensated for our sacrifices. 

What can you do now?

Talk to your colleagues about what the proposed concessions and wage freezes would mean for you. Discuss what a fair deal means in the face of rising inflation and the state of our current health care system.  

But most importantly: start planning what you are prepared to do about it. 

Your Union will be coming to you very soon to engage you in the next steps.  

When we come together, we are an incredibly force of solidarity that reaches to every community in Alberta and every part of the healthcare system. 

Without HSAA members there is no health care. 

Watch your inbox for updates. If you have any questions, reach out to ahsbargaining@hsaa.ca. An FAQ document will be sent out early next week. 

We believe in collective bargaining, and we will not back down. 

In Solidarity, 

Your AHS Bargaining Team 

Megan Connolly, Social Worker, Calgary (Chair) 
Sarah Dorma, Social Worker, Calgary 
Jason Soklofske, Advanced Care Paramedic, Medicine Hat (South) 
Vicki Wakulchyk, Addictions Counsellor, Calgary 
Sarah Mullin, Social Worker, Red Deer (Central) 
Kelly Sherwood, Advanced Care Paramedic, Edmonton 
Chandra Arsenault, Respiratory Therapist, Edmonton 
Brittany Fandrick, Dental Hygienist, Westlock (North) 
Todd Romanow, HSAA Labour Relations Officer (Lead Spokesperson) 
Jody Machtans, HSAA Labour Relations Officer (Spokesperson) 
Sheena Schiemann, HSAA Administrative Assistant Negotiations