Frontline health-care professionals vote 59% to reject tentative agreement

EDMONTON – Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA) members have rejected a tentative agreement with Alberta Health Services and other provincial health agencies and corporations following a province-wide vote.

With record turnout, 78 per cent of eligible members cast ballots between August 28 and September 10, and 59.37 per cent voted to reject the tentative agreement.  

“Today, HSAA members are sending a message. Frontline health-care professionals are rejecting a deal that does not do enough to support them,” said HSAA President Mike Parker.

HSAA represents more than 22,000 highly specialized health-care professionals covered by the agreement, including paramedics, diagnostic imaging specialists, mental health and addiction counsellors, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, physiotherapists, dietitians, social workers and more than 200 other professions.  

Parker said the vote reflects the reality of a health-care workforce under immense strain.

“We face a dangerous shortage of health-care professionals in this province. Albertans see it every day in longer wait times, overwhelmed emergency rooms, delayed surgeries and therapies, and the prolonged agony of waiting for care. Our members are living these challenges alongside patients, often facing unmanageable workloads, short staffing, and burnout that is driving professionals out of the system.”

HSAA is not calling a strike vote at this time. Instead, the union is urging Alberta Health Services and the Government of Alberta to bring forward an improved wage offer.

“I believe we can still reach a fair agreement that reflects the respect they deserve and the pressures they face,” Parker said. “But we need a commitment from the government to invest in the people who make health care possible.”

HSAA will be engaging with members in the coming weeks to support our next steps.  

The bargaining unit covers HSAA members working for Alberta Health Services, as well as agencies and corporations such as Acute Care Alberta, Recovery Alberta, Primary Care Alberta, Assisted Living Alberta, Cancer Care Alberta, Emergency Health Services, Lamont Health Care Centre and Bethany Nursing Home of Camrose.

Media Inquiries:   
Matt Dykstra, Communications Officer   
780-224-9202 | mdykstra@hsaa.ca