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Alberta nurses have voted to approve a new four-year collective agreement with provincial health agencies.
Members of the Alberta United Nurse (UNA) voted Wednesday, with 95.7% of eligible registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses voting to endorse the new agreement. UNA said another 124 affected locals voted in favor of accepting the new agreement. Voters turnout was 77.4%.
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UNA President Heather Smith said in a press release Thursday that the new collective agreement is a meaningful step towards respecting Alberta nurses. The vote was described as “overwhelmingly approved.”
“This round of negotiations is about respect, retention and recruitment,” Smith said.
“When UNA members voted against the ratification of the settlement proposed last October, they made it clear and we listened. The result was an agreement approved yesterday.”
The four-year agreement will come retroactively from March 31, 2024 and expire on April 1, 2028. According to UNA, the new agreement with provincial health authorities will make Alberta nurses the highest salary in any Canadian province in Canada.
Over the next four years, members will receive about 20% of their salary, while the immediate increase in wages will increase by 15%. The new agreement will continue to include nurses working for the Alberta Department of Health Services, who have been transferred to new health agencies in the coming weeks and months.
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In addition, the new agreement will include:
- New agreements increase salary by 3% each year
- Revised annual salary grid, salary increases by 4% between each step
- Salary increased to April 1, 2024
- Large currency increase in fees and other premiums for sale
- Full reimbursement of professional registration and liability fees
- New measures to ensure safety staffing
- The province provides a commitment to presumptive coverage for PTSD and psychological harm
- Work security during health care reorganization
- Help rural health care workers
Finance Secretary Nate Horner said in a press release on Thursday that the new collective agreement will continue to support nurse retention and recruitment.
“We all respect nurses very much and know that without their health care system, we can’t thrive.”
“In addition, the graduate nursing transition pilot program employs 1,000 new nursing graduates every year throughout the contract. This means that nearly every nurse who graduates from colleges in the province can have a full-time position after graduation.”
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