Alberta nurses' union asking for 25% raise in 1 year

Alberta Health Services is cancelling some job interviews and making it more bureaucratic to hire health-care workers, just as the province's nurses' union proposed a 25 per cent wage increase.

The request comes shortly after Premier Danielle Smith signalled government spending next year will not keep pace with the rates of inflation and population growth.

David Harrigan, director of labour relations for the United Nurses of Alberta, said in an interview with CBC News the union is seeking a 25 per cent raise in the first year, and a 10 per cent raise in the second year of a contract.

Harrigan said that may sound "outrageous," but so is closing units or entire hospitals, and making nurses work around the clock. 

"They've abused and ignored the system for many years and when you do that there needs to be a giant catch-up in order to to set things straight again," Harrigan said.

Such a salary increase would cost $1.6 billion, according to AHS. The organization spent $17.7 billion in 2022-23, the last fiscal year for which financial statements are publicly available.

AHS has proposed a four-year contract with wage increases of two per cent in the first year, two per cent in year two, and 1.75 per cent in each of the following two years, according to the UNA website.

The union, which represents 30,000 registered nurses, has long said that staff shortages are driving nurses out of the profession or the province, leading to deteriorating work conditions, delayed patient care and less job satisfaction.

Nurses need competitive compensation to reverse the trends, Harrigan said.

An arbitrator last year gave Ontario nurses wage increases — 3.5 per cent, then three per cent in a two-year contract — to keep people in the profession.

British Columbia nurses were the first in Canada to get a contractual nurse-to-patient staffing ratio last year.

Statistics Canada data shows nurses and allied health professionals in Alberta have historically earned the highest or second-highest median hourly pay in Canada. But in 2023, several other provinces paid higher or similar wages.

Harrigan said the competitive advantage has eroded.

AHS and UNA exchanged initial bargaining proposals last week.

It's AHS' duty to ensure Albertans get the best value for their health spending, spokesperson Kerry Williamson said in a statement.

"Our proposal reflects our desire to address current workforce issues so we can ensure we have the people we need to provide consistent, high-quality care to Albertans," he said.

Cost-saving measures no coincidence: labour leaders

Nurses are among the more than 100,000 Alberta health-care workers belonging to three unions that will see their contracts expire on March 31. Bargaining dates are scheduled with AHS.

AHS sent an internal memo this week informing workers of cost-cutting measures designed to stave off a deficit. It was the second such memo in two months.

In a memo shared with unions on Tuesday, AHS said it is cancelling any scheduled job interviews for positions in senior leadership, managers, non-unionized jobs and unionized positions unrelated to clinical care.

AHS president and CEO Athana Mentzelopoulos must approve any hires into those roles, the memo said.

A senior operating officer must approve filling any unionized job related to patient care, including roles in nursing, community health, emergency medical services (EMS), diagnostic and therapeutic services, laundry, security and maintenance, it said.

The instructions follow an AHS directive last month to reduce the reliance on staff overtime and contract workers from private health-care worker agencies.

"Additional measures are required to aggressively address our current deficit position before the end of the 2023/24 fiscal year," the Feb. 20 memo said.

On Thursday, during a virtual news conference, Mentzelopoulos said AHS is running a deficit due to extra staffing costs, but refused to quantify the projected deficit or divulge whether AHS has approached the government for more money.

"For every position that we're staffing, we're taking a hard look — making sure that it's oriented to where we have a need, and that it's the right kind of job to fit that need," Mentzelopoulos said.

Harrigan believes it isn't a coincidence AHS is saying it's short on cash ahead of bargaining.

"It's a silly game that I think does a disservice to everyone," he said.

Mentzelopoulos rejected characterizing the measures as a "hiring freeze," or that the measures would delay hiring. AHS extended 255 job offers to prospective new hires in the 48 hours since she issued the directives, she said.

There are about 1,400 vacant jobs related to patient care, she said.

The temporary practices wouldn't impact patient care, Mentzelopoulos and Health Minister Adriana LaGrange each said Thursday.

The government is restructuring AHS. Legislation is expected within months to begin dismantling it into four new organizations and absorb some functions into government.

The Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA), which represents about 240 types of health professionals, finds the hiring directives troubling, according to vice president Leanne Alfaro.

"This does not help a staffing crisis at in any way, shape or form," Alfaro said Thursday.

The government is asking for workers' input and trust as it restructures health-care, she said, so adding any barriers to hiring during a staffing crisis requires an explanation.

HSAA has not yet traded initial bargaining proposals with AHS.

Harrigan, of the UNA, said additional bureaucracy will delay hiring and exacerbate staffing shortages, and could increase costs by forcing units to depend on keeping workers for overtime.