The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees recently published an update on their website regarding negotiations for workers employed by the provincial government.
These workers are employed in administrative and support services, administrative and program services, correctional and regulatory services, trades and related services, natural resources conservation services, social services, help and support services, and technical and field services.
According to the collective bargaining agreement database maintained by Labour Relations Alberta, these workers made up over 22,000 government workers in 2021.
The collective agreement these workers have with the Government of Alberta expires at the end of next month.
According to AUPE, the government Alberta recommended in their initial monetary proposal wage increases totaling 7.5% over 4 years. Here’s how they break down each year.
| Year 1 | 2.00% |
| Year 2 | 2.00% |
| Year 3 | 1.75% |
| Year 4 | 1.75% |
That works out to an average increase of 1.88% per year.
Keep in mind that in their current collective agreement, these workers had to settle on two years of wage freezes and then a final increase of 2.75% split up into two installments: 1.25% in January 2023 and 1.5% in September 2023.
That’s on top of two more wage freezes and a 1% increase in the previous collective agreement. That means that these workers received a combined wage increase of 3.75% over the 7 years covered by the two most recent collective agreements.
In April 2016, the Consumer Price Index in Alberta was 135.1. Seven years later, in April 2023, the Consumer Price Index was 163.7. That’s an increase of 28.6, or 21.17%.
So during the time that wages increased by just 3.75% for these workers, inflation increased by nearly seven times that amount. That means that these workers have received a reduction in real wages, which is wages adjusted for inflation.
Even though these workers received a combined wage increase of 3.75% over the last 7 years, because inflation hit 21.17% during the same period, these workers effectively received a cut to the real wages of 17.42%.
In other words, for every $100 that these workers spent back in April 2016, it would’ve cost them $117.42 this past April to purchase the same goods and services. To put it another way, the goods and the services that this $100 would’ve purchased back in April 2016 would’ve been able to purchase only $82.58 worth in April 2023.
Even if you subtract the 7.5% combined wage increase that the Government of Alberta is proposing over the next 4 years, the real wages for these workers would still be 9.92% below what they should be. And that’s not including inflation over the next four years, which is surely going to be more than 0%.
As a result, the bargaining committee for these workers is offering an initial proposal of 26%: 13% in the first year, 6.5% in the second year, and 6.5% in the final year.
The first two increases combined would allow these workers to get caught up on the reduction in real wages they’ve had to endure over the last 7 years, and the proposed increase in the final year would hopefully allow the workers to account for inflation over the life of the contract.
The workers’ bargaining committee is also proposing that no Government of Alberta worker should be paid less than $22.98 per hour.
According to AUPE, the Government of Alberta wants to eliminate job security language that is in the current collective agreement, which contains a letter of understanding regarding employment security. That letter of understanding guaranteed that there would “be no involuntary loss of employment for permanent bargaining unit employees, as a result of organizational restructuring.”
The workers want to retain this in the new contract.
The AUPE also claims that the provincial government wants to “water down” health spending accounts for these workers and failed to put forward solutions to deal with staff shortages or the excessive workloads that are a result of those shortages.
13 replies on “AB govt workers ask for 26% wage increase”
I guess I should go work for the gov’t
Or unionize your workplace.
Every single working Canadian is in the same boat with inflation. Nobody is getting raises to ‘match’ inflation. Who does the union think is going to pay for this? The other working Albertans via a tax increase who haven’t gotten the same inflation matching wage increases?
Sounds like every single working Canadian needs to be in a union then.
My husband gets a 4% increase with bonus every yr no matter what and mine has been 4 % over 7 yrs with government think about it
If only there was this much scrutiny with how the government spends other money.
When it comes to paying the people who do actual work there is a problem, but the elected officials can make double and have expense accounts for putting a butt in a chair.
Unions were good back in the day when they were needed now they’re just pricing businesses out of Canada for the last 40 years and protecting many NOT all incompetent works that would have been fired otherwise. Unions only care about there dues NOT you!. Never work for them again 30 bucks an hour at Chrysler to push a broom REALLY?
Given that 70% of Canadian workers aren’t unionized, I don’t see how unions are pricing businesses out of Canada.
They shouldn’t get a penny more than what the average rate increase have been in the private sector. Those in the private sector pay the taxes that pay their wages, why should their wages surpass ours. Enough with the self entitlement. Personally I’d like to see the government privatize as many government jobs as possible as government is NEVER as cost effective as the private sector
If your wages are lower, then maybe you should collectively bargain for higher wages.
Working for the Gov as Correctional Peace Officer means you are well underpaid, dealing with violent people who is almost all the time either withdrawing and working extreme hours so you can barely make $1600 BI WEEKLY!! No increases are given if you have education or experience in Law Enforcement, so you are basically left to drown in bills.
Thanks Kim, Great to see this article. Govt support workers especially admin 3’s are so grossly underpaid that most are below the poverty line. All those non union people that shit on union workers should thank the unions that they have benefits and livable wages. Keep up the great articles.
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