Earlier this month, Alberta Mediation Services published their May 2026 Bargaining Update.
The monthly report provides information about the unionized workforce, primarily in Alberta.
Information published in this month’s report is based on the details from 27 collective bargaining agreements they received in May. Those agreements collectively covered nearly 4,000 workers, most of which were in the public sector.
The private sector submitted 14 collective agreements for over 1,500 workers, and the public sector submitted 13 agreements for more than 2,400 workers.
One of the privatae sector agreements was for the nearly 80 workers at the Elbow River Casino, who are represented by Local 401 of the United Food and Commercial Workers.
These workers include casino dealers, cashiers, pit bosses, slot machine workers, and those working in the count room.
The casino workers ratified their new 5-year collective agreement in February 2025, almost a year and a half after their previous one had expired.
Wage increases are 50¢ per year in each of the 5 years of the new contract—at least for most workers—as well as a 25¢ increase at the start of the contract to make up for the fact that so much time has gone by since their last increase, which was in May 2023.
| 1 February 2025 | 25¢ |
| 20 February 2026 | 50¢ |
| 20 February 2027 | 50¢ |
| 20 February 2028 | 50¢ |
| 20 February 2029 | 50¢ |
| $2.25 |
Because the increases are absolute dollars (or cents, as the case may be), the percentage of the increases varies.
For example, blackjack dealers, baccarat dealers, novelty game dealers, and slot workers will receive a 13.43% increase between the end of the last contract and the end of the new contract.
In comparison, pit bosses will see an increase of just 9.93% over the course of the new agreement.
The lowest paid workers, dealers at the craps tables, will actually receive no wage increase.
This is only the second collective agreement these workers have ratified since unionizing in 2018. Their last contract gave them two 50¢ increases and a 25¢ increase in the final year.
Workers who take a permanent position outside of the bargaining unit may be returned or choose to return to their former unionized position within 3 months. Under the previous agreement, it was 6 months.
Any workers that attends a health and safety committee meeting will be guaranteed a shift that day, something that was missing in the previous contract.
Under the previous collective agreement, workers were eligible for the benefits plan if they worked an average of 35 hours a week over the previous 3 months. That has been reduced to 32 hours in the new agreement.
Elbow River Casino has introduced a paramedical benefit in the mew contract. Workers will get $500 a year to spend on a wide range of paramedical services, such as psychologists, social workers, massage therapist, occupational therapists, and podiatrists.
Workers got 8 sick days a year in the previous contract, 3 of which were paid. They still get 8 days in total under the new contract, but now 4 of them are paid.
The collective agreement now lists all the statutory holidays that workers are entitled to:
- New Year’s Day
- Family Day
- Good Friday
- Victoria Day
- Canada Day
- Labour Day
- Thanksgiving Day
- Remembrance Day
- Christmas
