AHS Tentative Agreement Announcement
After 16 months of bargaining, mediation and direct meetings with Alberta Health Services (AHS), your Bargaining Committee and Board of Directors are recommending a tentative agreement for your review and decision.
This includes:
- 12% general wage increase for all members (3% in 2024, 3% in 2025, 3% in 2026, 3% in 2027).
- Enhanced benefits.
- Portability of seniority and other collective agreement rights when moving between new provincial health agencies and corporations.
- A workload appeal process.
After our last scheduled day of formal mediation, your Union continued to advocate on your behalf, meeting directly with the government for improvements to the wage settlement.
Through these additional discussions, we secured a new Letter of Understanding (LOU) that outlines a mechanism to identify compensation gaps and support the retention and recruitment of our specialized healthcare professionals. This may result in additional compensation during the term of this collective agreement.
Your Bargaining Committee was also able to secure other gains in several key areas, some of which are highlighted below.
Your Bargaining Committee and Board of Directors agree this is the most that can be obtained through formal mediation.
The final decision on whether to ratify the agreement is up to you.
To help you make this decision, we urge you to learn more about the agreement. To help inform your decision, you will have access to:
- A summary of full agreement details, available early next week.
- A series of townhalls, where you will have the opportunity to ask questions about the tentative agreement:
- August 19: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm (LUE Only)
- August 20: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
- August 21: 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm & 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
- August 25: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
- August 26: 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm & 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
- August 27: 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm & 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Voting on the tentative agreement will take place from August 28 to September 10. Full details on how to vote will be provided on August 25.
Tentative Agreement Highlights
*This is not a complete list. Additional details will follow.
General Wage Increase
12% total wage increase for all members broken down as follows:
- 3% increase retroactive to April 1, 2024.
- 3% increase retroactive to April 1, 2025.
- 3% increase effective April 1, 2026.
- 3% increase effective April 1, 2027.
Under Market Wage Adjustments
These market adjustments will be applied on top of the general wage increase.
| Job Classification | Market Adjustment |
|---|---|
| Emergency Communication Officer / Team Lead | 8.44% |
| Primary Care Paramedic / Team Lead / Supervisor | 8.44% |
| Neuropsychologist (Supplementary Salary Schedule Former Calgary Health Region) | 6.1% |
| Psychologist (Local Conditions Applicable to Calgary Community, including Airdrie and Cochrane) | 6.1% |
| Psychologist I & II | 6.1% |
| Advanced Care Paramedic / Team Lead / Supervisor | 4% |
| Public Education Officer | 4% |
| Clinical Educator | 4% |
| Cardiovascular Perfusionist I & II | Grid adjustment: Steps 1, 2, 3 will be eliminated and new steps 7, 8, 9 will be created. |
We also secured a new Letter of Understanding (LOU) that outlines a mechanism to identify compensation gaps and support the retention and recruitment of our specialized healthcare professionals. This may result in additional compensation during the term of this collective agreement.
Benefits
- Massage therapy: $75 per visit to max of $1000/yr (previously $50).
- Dental coverage: 3 units of dental scaling moved from 50% coverage to 80% coverage.
- Diabetic supplies: Glucose monitors now covered. No doctors notes will be required for diabetic equipment.
Leave
- Professional development days: 3 paid days for education/training for all members.
- Domestic violence leave: 5 paid days for those experiencing domestic or family violence.
- Leave for upgraded education: Members can now apply for unpaid, job-protected leave for up to 24 months to upgrade their education.
Other Monetary Benefits
- Members will now receive new or increased premiums, as below:
- +$7/hr for on-call premium
- +$2/hr for preceptor pay
- +2% for long-service pay (members employed 20+ years), effective April 1, 2026
- Professional fee reimbursement of up to $504/yr for all regular full- and part-time employees, who have worked 810 hours.
- Increased travel reimbursement rates for mileage and meals (details to come).
Other
- New obligation for the employer to use overtime only within reasonable limits.
- New workload appeal process to raise ongoing, systemic, or long-term workload concerns.
- Members who transfer from Alberta Health Services to any of the new health agencies or corporations will retain all rights, benefits and provisions of your collective agreement.
- When applying for vacant positions within any of the agencies or corporations, members have priority over external applicants.
- $54 million investment in the Rural Capacity Investment Fund (RCIF).
Emergency Medical Services
- Members changing professional designations will be placed on the same step on their new wage grid as they were on their previous wage grid.
- Members can now take their first break within five hours of working vs. after 5 hours.
- Rovers are now eligible for travel expense reimbursements.
- Rovers will now have a scheduled start time and an assigned station.
- Rovers will now be scheduled at least 12 hours in advance of a shift. If their schedule is changed with less than 12 hours’ notice, they are entitled to 2X their base rate of pay for that shift.
- Employers will now supply a fitted dress uniform.