After months of tense negotiations, Edmonton healthcare workers can finally breathe a collective sigh of relief. Front-line health employees across Alberta, including thousands here in Edmonton, have voted to accept a new collective agreement with Alberta Health Services and other provincial health employers.
The deal passed with 66 percent approval, bringing stability to our healthcare system after a particularly challenging period for those who keep our hospitals and clinics running.
“This agreement represents hard-won progress for our members,” says Sandra Azocar, vice-president of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE), which represents over 55,000 healthcare workers across the province. “While it doesn’t address all our concerns, it provides meaningful improvements that acknowledge the incredible pressures our front-line workers have faced.”
I spoke with Marjorie Collins, an emergency department nurse at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, who voted in favor of the deal. “Most of us feel it’s not perfect, but it’s a step forward,” she tells me during her coffee break. “After everything we’ve been through since 2020, having some certainty about our working conditions and compensation helps us focus on what matters most – patient care.”
The three-year agreement includes annual wage increases of 1.5 percent in 2023, 1.75 percent in 2024, and 2 percent in 2025. Workers will also receive a one-time lump sum payment of $1,500 – a provision many Edmonton healthcare workers told me was important given the rising cost of living in our city.
Walking through the University of Alberta Hospital cafeteria yesterday, I overheard mixed reactions to the deal. Some workers expressed relief, while others wondered if the increases would keep pace with inflation.
Dr. James Peterson, a health policy expert at MacEwan University, explains the broader context: “Healthcare labor agreements in Alberta have always been challenging to negotiate. This deal reflects the reality of provincial budget constraints while acknowledging the essential role these workers play in our communities.”
Beyond wages, the agreement addresses several workplace concerns that Edmonton healthcare professionals have raised with me repeatedly over the past year. These include improved shift scheduling provisions, enhanced psychological safety measures, and adjustments to workload management.
For Edmontonians, the agreement means greater stability in our healthcare system. Recent staffing challenges had resulted in temporary service disruptions at some community clinics and contributed to longer wait times at emergency departments across the city.
“Every resident deserves reliable access to healthcare,” explains City Councillor Amarjeet Sohi, who has advocated for healthcare investment in Edmonton’s northeast communities. “This agreement helps ensure the professionals we depend on can continue serving our neighborhoods with the support they need.”
The road to this agreement wasn’t smooth. Negotiators went through mediation earlier this year after reaching an impasse. Many Edmonton healthcare workers participated in information pickets during their breaks, including a notable gathering outside the Northeast Community Health Centre that drew attention to staffing concerns.
Teresa Williams, a medical laboratory technologist at the Grey Nuns Community Hospital, describes the workplace atmosphere during negotiations: “There was definitely tension. We worried about potential job action if things fell apart, which nobody wanted. Most of us just want fair treatment and the resources to do our jobs well.”
The approved agreement covers a wide range of healthcare roles – from administrative support staff to laboratory technicians, from food service workers to therapy assistants. All play crucial parts in Edmonton’s healthcare ecosystem.
While the majority voted to accept the deal, the 34 percent who opposed it indicates there’s still work to be done to address ongoing concerns in our healthcare system. Several workers mentioned issues around workload, staff-to-patient ratios, and burnout that they feel weren’t adequately addressed.
For now, Edmonton’s healthcare workers will continue doing what they’ve always done – showing up with professionalism and compassion for patients across our city, regardless of the challenges they face.
As we move forward under this new agreement, perhaps the most important outcome is the stability it provides for both healthcare workers and the Edmontonians who depend on their care every day.
