Last month, the Mediation Services department of Alberta Jobs, Economy, and Trade published the December 2024 Bargaining Update.
This monthly report provides information about the unionized workforce, primarily in Alberta. In December, Mediation Services received settlement information regarding 24 private sector and 10 public sector bargaining settlements, covering 2,429 and 3,797 workers respectively.
Among those settlements was a contract for about 90 workers employed by the Lloydminster Region Housing Group. This non-profit organized by the provincial government manages housing properties—including seniors housing and family housing—and a rent assistance benefit programme in the Lloydminster area.
These workers include cooks, dietary aides, housekeeping aides, laundry aides, activity aides, healthcare aides, and licensed practical nurses employed by LRHC at their Pioneer complex. They’re represented by Local 1015 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees.
The previous contract for these workers expired in February 2024. The new contract was settled just this past November, over 8 months later.
In their latest collective agreement, the workers are set to receive wage increases in every year of the 2-year contract. On that note, the last two contracts were each over 3 years.
| 1 July 2024 | 75¢ |
| 1 March 2025 | 3.00% |
The 75¢ increase in the first year works out to be between 2.35% for LPNs and 4.51% for aides other than healthcare aides for starting wages.
This works out to a combined increase of between 5.36% and 7.51%, or an annual average increase of between 2.68% and 3.76%, over the life of the contract.
By the end of the contract, all job classifications (except LPNs) will make less than $30 for a starting wage, and all the aides (other than health care aides) will make under $20 for a starting wage.
Now let’s review some of the changes in this new contract, which expires a year from now.
New to the section on casual workers is the following text:
Casual employees are expected to be available for expected to be available to work a minimum of 2 shifts per 4 week cycle, if shifts are available.
Same with this:
Casual employees will set their calendar indicating their availability on the first day of each month for shifts no later than 45 days in advance. Failure to set availability within this timeframe will result in the Casual employee being considered available and shifts may be assigned to provide coverage as needed.
The following text was added to the section on the posting of vacancies:
As the successful applicant to a position within the same classification, but within a different department, any employee shall be on a trial period of 3 months, where if the employee is unsatisfied with the new department or the employer is unsatisfied with the performance of the employee, the employee may return to or be returned to their former position and department.
There has been a change in what constitutes a full workday:
| Old | New | |
|---|---|---|
| LPN | 8.25 hours | 12.25 hours |
| Health care aide | 8 hours | 12 hours |
| Cook | 8 hours | 10 hours |
| Other aide | 8 hours | 8 hours |
To qualify for overtime hours, workers must work beyond the new hours listed above, which means for most of the classifications, the threshold for daily overtime hours has increased. However, the limit for weekly overtime hours has changed from 38–41.25 hours to 35–41.25 hours.
Workers who put in more than 5 hours of work but fewer than 8 hours will get a paid 30-minute lunch break. It was unpaid in the previous contract.
Those working 12-hour shifts will get 2 15-minute breaks and 2 30-minute meal breaks, all of which will be paid. Same goes for those working 10-hour shifts, except they get just 1 15-minute break. There were no breaks mentioned in the previous contract for workers on 10-hour and 12-hour sifts.
Immediate family has been extended under bereavement leave eligibility to include partners, co-parents, parental partners, and cousins. Nieces and nephews are no longer listed under immediate family.
The following has been added to the section on sick leave:
In addition to medical reasons, Employee sick time may be used to undertake important family or personal responsibilities that cannot otherwise be attended to because of the work schedule; or care for a close family member who is ill or injured.
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation has been added to the list of general holidays, which are the holidays used to determine stat pay. This brings the total number of general holidays to 12, from 11.
Vacation time has been changed from a number of days to a percentage of their wages.
| Length of employment | Old | New |
|---|---|---|
| < 1 year | Prorated | Prorated |
| 1–4 years | 10 days | 4% |
| 4–10 years | 15 days | 6% |
| 10–20 years | 20 days | 8% |
| 20+ years | 25 days | 10% |
There is no longer a clause regarding a health spending account in the collective agreement.
The clothing and footwear allowance has been expanded to include prescriptions and increased from $50 per year to $350 per year for full-time workers. Part-time workers will qualify for up to $200 in this allowance. Casual workers will get just $50.
