APL Bargaining Update #7

Bargaining updates

Your Bargaining Committee met with Alberta Precision Laboratories (APL) on March 18th and 19th to continue discussions on monetary proposals, excluding wages. While we came prepared to engage in meaningful negotiations, APL did not. 

Progress was frustratingly slow due to the employer's apparent lack of preparation. 

Over two days, our committee provided detailed rationale for our proposals, emphasizing the urgent need for improvements that provide members with greater work-life balance, including fair scheduling and better on-call provisions. However, rather than countering our proposals, APL appeared disorganized and spent much of the time running out the clock asking repetitive clarification questions. This approach severely limited our progress.

Adding to our frustration, APL continues to push for concessions, which your Bargaining Committee flatly rejected. We have made it clear that we will not accept rollbacks that undermine the working conditions of our members, full stop.

Despite our willingness to meet and negotiate anytime and anywhere, APL could not provide additional dates in April and was unwilling to schedule more than two consecutive days for bargaining. As such, the next scheduled bargaining dates are May 6th and 7th—meaning the next round of discussions will be delayed for nearly two months.

That said, we did reach agreement and sign off on two articles:

  • Article 3 – Management Rights (renewed with no changes)
  • Article 15 – Recognition of Previous Experience (with improvements)

While this is not the pace we hoped for, we remain committed to pushing for the improvements you deserve and securing a fair deal that reflects the important work you do for Albertans each and every day.

If you have questions about your union’s approach to bargaining, you can access a general FAQ page. For further questions or feedback, please email aplbargaining@hsaa.ca.

In solidarity,
Your APL Bargaining Team

Laurie Brassard, Laboratory Technologist, UAH, Edmonton (Chair, HSAA Board Member)
Lisa Constantini, MLA, PSC, Calgary (HSAA Board Member)
Ayed Saad, Laboratory Technologist, FMC, Calgary
Evan Zinyk, MLA, Base Lab, Edmonton
Georgianna Renkas, Laboratory Technologist, FMC, Calgary
Katie Hudson, Combined Lab & X-Ray Technologist, Fox Creek
Bailey-Rae Church, MLA, PSC, Red Deer
Chris Bradshaw, HSAA Labour Relations Officer (Lead Spokesperson)
Tammy Milliken, HSAA Labour Relations Officer, (Spokesperson)