Nearly two years ago, I wrote an article about health care aides and licensed practical nurses in Edmonton filing for unionization.
In March 2024, the more than 100 workers voted over 80% to unionize with Local 1-207 of the United Steelworkers, and the Alberta Labour Relations Board awarded them a certificate on 21 March 2024.
In their September 2025 Bargaining Update, Alberta Mediation Services noted that this past May, these workers finally ratified a new agreement.
Given that the employer, Edmonton People in Need Shelter Society, had been accused by USW of unionbusting, it should not come as a surprise that it took over a year to reach a collective agreement.
The new agreement expires at the end of next April, making this contract less than a year long.
Because it is a first collective agreement for these workers and that it is so short, these workers are not set to receive a wage increase.
That being said, here is a look at the salary range for the two positions:
| Starting | Maximum | |
|---|---|---|
| Health care aide | $20.60 | $25.75 |
| Licensed practical nurse | $27.30 | $36.05 |
As alluded to, there is no indication how this compares to wages prior to unionization
Here are some highlights of benefits these workers will receive in their first collective agreement. Again, it is unclear how many of these the workers received prior to unionization.
The Occupational Health and Safety Committee will contain two unionized workers: one has to be a HCA and the other a LPN.
Edmonton People in Need Shelter Society has agreed to fill temporary vacancies if they are likely to last at least 3 months and have a full-time equivalency of at least 60%.
Laid off workers retain their employment start date and recall rights for 12 months.
Bereavement leave is for a maximum of 3 consecutive shifts. It can apply to immediate family members: parent (including step and in-laws), sibling (including step and in-laws), child (including in-law), grandchild, grandparent (including in-law), guardian, spouse (including fiancé), nibling, aunt, or uncle.
Workers who have been with the company for at least 90 days qualify for domestic violence leave of up to 10 days in a calendar year.
Probation is 3 months from the date of hire for full-time workers and 465 hours worked (or 6 months, whichever comes first) for part-time and casual workers.
Regular schedules are 44 hours per week or 88 hours biweekly; although overtime does not kick in until 108 hours biweekly (or 12 hours in a day).
Overtime is 1.5 times the regular pay rate.
Here is a list of breaks workers get, based on how many hours they work in a shift.
| 5–8 hours | 8+ hours | |
|---|---|---|
| 30-min meal break | — | paid |
| 1st 15-min break | paid | paid |
| 2nd 15 min break | unpaid | unpaid |
Workers have the flexibility to take breaks back-to-back or throughout the shift.
Vacation time is based on hours, not days, and depends on how long the workers has been employed with this employer. The following is for full-time workers:
| Less than 1 year | Prorated up to 80 hours |
| 1–5 years | 80 hours |
| 5–10 years | 120 hours |
| More than 10 years | 160 hours |
Part-time workers will get the same vacation days, but it will be prorated, based on how many hours they work. As well, they have to be working at least 20% of full-time hours.
If part-time workers are less than 0.2 FTE, they will get vacation pay in lieu of paid vacation: 4% up to 5 years of employment, 6% for 5–10 years of employment, and 8% over 10 years of employment.
Workers will get 11 general holidays, which will be used to determine stat pay.
- New Year’s Day
- Family Day
- Good Friday
- Victoria Day
- Canada Day
- Heritage Day
- Labour Day
- National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
- Thanksgiving
- Remembrance Day
- Christmas Day
Stat pay is 1.5 times the regular payrate for any hours worked on the above days.
Both full-time and part-time workers are entitled to 16 hours of paid sick leave per calendar, which works out to just 2 days off if they normally work 8-hour shifts.
Unused sick leave can be carried over into the following year but to a maximum of 96 hours.
Workers, both full-time and part-time, can also take up to 16 hours of paid personal time per calendar year, which can also carry over into the next year, to a maximum of 96 hours.
All full-time and part-time workers who are FTE 0.4 an over qualify for the employer’s group benefit plan, as long as they have completed the probationary period.
Edmonton People in Need Shelter Society will cover 100% of the cost of the benefit plan.
Workers who have completed 1 year of service with Edmonton People in Need Shelter Society may participate in the organization’s registered pension plan. Anyone who does will get matching contributions from the employer but only up to 3% of straight time earnings.
