Earlier this month, the Mediation Services department of Alberta Jobs, Economy, and Trade published their April 2024 Bargaining Update, which includes details on recently settled collective agreements.
One of the agreements was between the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees and Origin Active Lifestyles, LLC.
AUPE represents about 165 licensed practical nurses, health care aides, and general support workers employed by Origin at their Swan Evergreen Village facility in Calgary.
A majority of the workers voted in favour of unionizing over two years ago, with the Alberta Labour Relations Board certifying the vote in January 2022.
Bargaining began the following September. The workers knew going into bargaining that Origin is one of the lowest-paying employers in Alberta’s seniors-living industry, but they were determined to negotiate their first contract.
After nearly a year and a half of bargaining, however, it ended up going to mediation this past February, with the mediator dropping a recommendation two months later. A majority of workers voted to approve the recommendation.
Here are some of the highlights from the new collective agreement.
First, there will be no raises in the two-year contract. Technically, they’re set to get a 2.5% bump as of April 2024, but that will be a lump sum payment, which means it won’t increase their base salary, for when they begin negotiating their second contract.
To be fair, the wage grid for all workers did increase, which will help.
Shift premiums also increased for evening and weekend shifts, but only for nursing care workers.
| Old | New | |
|---|---|---|
| Evening | $0.75 | $2.25 |
| Night | $1.25 | $3.50 |
| Weekend | $1.50 | $3.00 |
New to this contract will be a new premium for workers operating as preceptors or overseeing practicums: 65¢ an hour.
Sick leave for all workers will increase from 5 days a year to 12 days. Plus, now they can bank their unused sick days—something they weren’t able to do previously—but only up to 36 days.
Bereavement leave will also increase. Workers needing to travel over 350 kilometres for a funeral will be entitled to an extra two days in leave.
Prior to this new contract, Origin was contributing 1% to RRSPs for their workers. Under the new contract, that’ll double to 2%.
Finally, licensed practical nurses will receive a $200 annual allowance to help them cover licensing fees.
Because this contract is for only two years and is retroactive to 2022, it’s already out of date, having expired last month. The bargaining will have not much of a break before having to begin negotiating their next agreement.
