Last month, the Mediation Services department of Alberta Jobs, Economy, Trade, and Immigration published their February 2026 Bargaining Update.
This monthly report provides information about the unionized workforce, primarily in Alberta.
In February 2026, Mediation Services received settlement information regarding 43 bargaining relationships encompassing 37,540 employees. There were 19 private sector and 24 public sector settlements, covering 5,895 and 31,645 employees respectively.
One of those collective agreement was between about 3 dozen workers and Abby Road Housing Co-Operative Ltd.
Abby Road is a private, non-profit, member-governed and operated housing co-operative in Edmonton for people of all abilities.
These workers are represented by Local 1158-01 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees. They include all workers (primarily health care aides) employed by Abby Road; although membership in CUPE is voluntary.
Their previous collective agreement, which was for 3 years, expired this past September. The new agreement is effective as of October 2025 and is for only 1 year. It was ratified in December, nearly 2 months after the last one expired.
Under the new contract workers were to receive a 3.0% wage increase retroactive to October 2025.
With the new wage increase, the starting wage for a health care aide will now be $23.24 an hour. At the start of the previous collective agreement, it was still under $20 an hour. The top base salary for a health care aide will be $27.85 an hour.
Here are some other changes found in the new collective agreement.
The following was added to the agreement:
The employer further agrees that the bargaining unit work will not be subcontracted, transferred, leased, assigned, or conveyed, in whole or in part, to any other plant or company, if the members of the bargaining unit are available and able to do the work or service.
As was this clause:
4.04.c It is understood and agreed that no employees, individually or collectively, will be required to enter any off-site building or off-site property where a picket line is established by a recognized trade union.
And this one:
8.05 Employees are encouraged to raise their workload concerns with the immediate supervisor as soon as possible to address their concerns. In the event that within 10 calendar days, the workload concern is not resolved to the employee’s satisfaction, the employee, or group of employees, may, within 48 hours, submit their concerns in writing (with a copy to their immediate supervisor) to either the Joint Health and Safety Committee or the Labour Management Committee through their union representative for timely resolution.
And, finally, this one:
36.02 For all approved leave of absence requests that are equal to or greater than 5 shifts in duration, employees will be required to utilize all accrued vacation hours or other paid time off prior to having these shifts coded as an unpaid leave of absence
The phrase “unwanted or unwelcome verbal or physical conduct that humiliates a person” was added to the definition of harassment in the agreement. As well, physical disability, mental disability, gender identity, and gender expression were all added to the list of things for which workers should not be discriminated against.
The co-op has agreed to reimburse the annual registration, certification, and permits any permanent worker needs to perform work for the employer, such as professional or licensing fees.
The new collective agreement expires this September.
