Red Deer women’s shelter workers get 1st contract

Last month, the Mediation Services department of Alberta Jobs, Economy, and Trade published the September–October 2024 Bargaining Update.

This monthly report provides information about the unionized workforce, primarily in Alberta. In the months of September and October, Mediation Services received settlement information regarding 36 private sector and 31 public sector bargaining settlements, covering 3,408 and 4,855 workers respectively.

Among those settlements was a contract for about 30 workers employed by the Central Alberta Women’s Emergency Shelter Society.

These workers are represented by Local 417-09 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees. They include team leads, crisis workers, client support workers, housekeepers, kitchen staff, data specialists, events coordinators, child support workers, court workers, case management workers, and administrative support.

Based out of Red Deer, the society oversees the operation of its emergency shelter for families experience family violence. They also oversee case management and community support for these families.

This is the first contract for these workers since unionizing in July 2021. This contract was settled in February 2023, but Mediation Services only recently received a copy of it.

Because it’s the first collective agreement, there was no first year wage increase, with wages in the first year acting as a baseline. There was a 1% wage increase this past April, however. This will be the only wage increase the workers will receive before the contract expires next March.

Keep in mind that inflation between April 2022 and April 2024 was 7.39%, so these workers are already behind inflation in their first contract.

As well, by the end of the contract, all workers will be making under $30 an hour, 8 of the 14 classifications will be making under $25 an hour, and 3 of the classifications—housekeepers, kitchen helpers, and in-house donation workers—will still be making under $20 an hour.

Here are some highlights of the benefits these workers get in their first collective agreement.

Workers will receive two paid breaks during each shift and one unpaid 30-minute lunch break. The length of the paid breaks will be 15 minutes for those working 8-hour or 10-hour shifts and 20 minutes for those on 12-hour shifts.

Days off will be a minimum of 2 consecutive days, and workers won’t be scheduled for more than 6 days in a row. As well, workers will have at least 10 hours of rest between shifts.

Overtime will be paid out at 1.5 times their regular rate of pay. Anyone called back to work after their shift is over will be paid for at least 3 hours of work, even if they work less than 3 hours.

Workers are entitled to 13 general holidays, which will qualify for statutory holiday pay:

Workers will be entitled to 1.5 times their basic rate of pay if they work on these days. They will be paid their regular rate of pay if the holiday falls on their regular scheduled workday but they don’t work it.

Vacation time varies depending on length of employment.

Up to 5 years	15 days
5–10 years	20 days
10–15 years	25 days
15–20 years	28 days
20+ years	30 days

Sick leave will be calculated as 4.6% of all hours worked and can be accrued up to 96 total hours, which is the equivalent of 12 8-hour shifts.

Bereavement leave will be 3 paid days for immediate family members—spouse, children, parents, grandparents, and siblings, including step and in-law—and 1 day for other family members. Workers have to take the leave within 7 days of the family member’s death, however.

Emergency leave will be up to 5 unpaid days per year to care for immediate family members.

All other leaves “will be granted in accordance with the Employment Standards Code of Alberta”.

Workers will be part of an employer health benefit plan. The employer will share equally with the workers in the cost of premiums for health, dental, and employee and family assistance benefits. However, workers have to cover all of the premium costs for long-term disability, life insurance, and accident death and dismemberment coverage.

The health spending account will be $35 per month ($420 per year) for all eligible permanent workers.