Earlier this month, the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees published an update on their website regarding contract negotiations for Edmonton care workers.
Venta Care Centre is a 148-unit long-term care facility in northwest Edmonton. The private company that owns the facility was founded in 1953.
AUPE represents the more than 50 general support services workers employed by Venta Care Centre Ltd. These workers include dietary aides, recreation aides, occupational therapy aides and assistants, physical therapy aides and assistants, unit clerks, staffing clerks, office clerks, payroll administrators, and those working in housekeeping, laundry, maintenance, and the kitchen.
The most recent collective agreement for these workers expired over 2 years ago, in July 2024.
Bargaining for wages and other monetary benefits did not begin until this past April.
At the time, the bargaining team for the workers proposed a 16% wage increase over 4 years. They also wanted to increase overtime pay to double time, and improve shift differentials:
| Old | New | |
|---|---|---|
| Evening | $2.25 | $2.75 |
| Weekend | $2.25 | $3.25 |
They wanted the employer to cover 100% of the cost for extended health care premiums. They were paying only 70% in the previous agreement.
Food services shift minimum would increase to 7 hours from the 6-hour minimum in the previous agreement. Venta Care Centre would also increase the number of full-time positions.
Finally, the health care spending account would be converted into a flexible spending account, and the annual allowance would increase: it was just $250 per worker per year in the last agreement.
The two parties met again last month, and Venta Care Centre finally responded with their own wage proposals.
They want 12% over 4 years, except the first increase would kick in as of January 2025, not August 2024. In lieu of retroactive pay going back to August 2024, they proposed a lump sum payment. That is better than nothing, but lump sum payments do not increase base salaries, which is what determines salary increases.
For example, if someone is making $40,000 and they get a $1,000 lump sum payment, their January 2025 wage increase would be based on $40,000, not $41,000.
They also proposed 4% market adjustments for maintenance workers, occupational therapy aides and assistants, and physical therapy aides and assistants.
As good as all this seems, however, it would still leave some workers making less than Edmonton’s living wage of $22.65 an hour.
The two parties agreed to increasr the health spending account to $500 at the start of the new year and $750 in January 2028.
The bargaining team plans to meet next month to prepare a counteroffer. If the employer accepts it, the workers’ bargaining team could have a tentative agreement to present to the workers. Otherwise, bargaining may go on to mediation.
