APL Bargaining Update #14: Tentative Agreement Reached

Bargaining updates

Your Bargaining Committee is pleased to announce that we have reached a tentative agreement with Alberta Precision Laboratories (APL).

We are confident that this agreement brings significant and positive approvements for our members. We want to thank all members for your patience and support.

Your Board of Directors and Bargaining Committee unanimously recommends ratification of this tentative agreement. 

Tentative Agreement Highlights

  • 12% wage increase over four years for all Classifications, ending September 2028.
  • 6% retroactive pay for all Classifications (2024 and 2025 increases)
  • No concessions, and important gains:
    • Long service pay built into base wages
    • No more delayed increments or reduced starting pay
    • Increased mileage and meal allowance
    • Increased on-call pay
    • New preceptor pay
    • Paid Professional dues
    • Paid professional development days
    • Expanded benefits and coverage
    • Additional relatives included under Bereavement Leave
    • Limitations on sick note request for a single day absence
    • Stronger job protection and fairer discipline rules
    • New workload and classification appeal processes
    • Flexible vacation and scheduling option where parties agree
    • Paid domestic violence leave
    • Ability to address market compensation gaps within term of Collective Agreement
    • $3 million fund for recruitment
    • Extended Red Circling protection

To review the tentative agreement, the summary of changes and the draft wage grids, click the links below:

Ratification Vote

On January 21, you will receive an email from Election Buddy, our online voting platform.

Watch your inbox carefully – and check your junk or spam folders. To ensure delivery of this email, we recommend you add invitations@mail.electionbuddy.com to your safe sender list. 

Voting Period

9:00 a.m. on January 21, 2026 to 12:00 p.m. on January 27, 2026.

Access Key

In the Election Buddy email, you will receive a personalized, 16-character access key. This key can only be used once.

This means:

  • You cannot forward your voting link to another member.
  • Each member must receive their own email to vote.

Please see below for an example of the part of email with the access key that you will receive from Election Buddy after voting opens. 

If you have any questions related to the Tentative Agreement, contact aplbargaining@hsaa.ca.

If you have any questions about the voting process OR you have not received the Election Buddy email by Thursday, January 22, 2026, please contact ratification@hsaa.ca for assistance. 

Town Halls

We held town halls on January 19 and 20, where we provided a summary of the Tentative Agreement and members had the opportunity to ask questions. 

Watch recordings below: