Nurses union membership to vote on mediator-recommended settlement with province
The United Nurses of Alberta (UNA) have voted to send a mediator-recommended settlement with the provincial government to its more than 30,000 members for a ratification vote.
The agreement includes a 12 to 22 per cent pay increase over a four-year term, as well as significant increases to several pay premiums.
More than 500 voting delegates in Calgary on Thursday made the decision.
"This assembly decided it was up to every member affected by this agreement to have a vote," said Heather Smith, UNA president, in a release Thursday night.
Thursday night's release further stated, "The employers also committed in a letter of understanding to raise the Rural Capacity Investment Fund from $7.5 million per year to $22.5 million per year. The union and employer will jointly decide how the money will be spent to assist with retention and recruitment of nurses in rural Alberta."
An online ratification vote is set for Oct. 30.
If ratified, the deal is good from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2028.
UNA delegates were meeting in Calgary this week to discuss stalled labour negotiations with the province.
They gathered Thursday morning to decide how to move forward after recent disagreements with their employer around pay and staffing.
Informal mediation meetings last month failed to bridge two sides that "remained far apart," according to Smith.
"How we got here is several years in the making," she told CTV News.
"We have very stressful workplaces and a very demoralized and tired workforce. We need to be able to retain and recruit — and for most, nurses in this province want respect."
The premier wouldn't get into specifics Thursday but says she's hoping agreements can be reached with not only UNA but also with the other health-care unions due for new contracts.
"I would just ask for everyone to be respectful of the process," Danielle Smith said.
"We've got six or seven union contracts that have come up at the same time, and we have to make sure that we're treating everybody fairly."
Before a strike vote, the union and the province would need to go through formal mediation.
If that's a bust, the union must wait for a 14-day cooling-off period before requesting permission to hold a strike vote.
If a strike does occur, Albertans would still have access to emergency medical care, because of an essential services agreement signed by the two parties.
The agreement ensures some nurses remain on the job regardless of a contract in order to ensure the safety of patients.
With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
A turbulent campaign nears its finale as Americans choose between Harris and Trump
A presidential campaign marked by upheaval and rancour headed for its Election Day finale on Tuesday, as Americans decided whether to send Donald Trump back to the White House or elevate Kamala Harris to the Oval Office.
Suspect seen shooting man during Toronto-area home invasion in new video
Police have released video footage that appears to show a suspect shooting a man who had attempted to intervene in a home invasion in York Region on Monday night.
How exit polls work and what they will tell us on election night
Exit polls are a set of surveys that ask voters whom they voted for, as well as additional questions about their political opinions, the factors they considered in the election and their own backgrounds more broadly.
Trump snaps at reporter when asked about abortion: 'Stop talking about that'
Donald Trump is refusing to say how he voted on Florida's abortion measure -- and getting testy about it.
Government calls $9M condo purchase an 'operational decision'
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly defends the purchase of a $9 million condo for the Consulate General of New York City at a parliamentary committee, as a necessary investment.
Lamborghini driver who crashed into parked cars while trying to pass streetcar sentenced to prison
A mortgage broker who totalled his Lamborghini and left a passenger with life-altering injuries after trying to pass a Toronto streetcar at nearly three times the speed limit has been handed a two-and-a-half year prison sentence.
'I’m not proud of it': Jason Kelce apologizes after video shows him spiking a cellphone after fan used a homophobic slur
Jason Kelce issued an apology during ESPN's 'Monday Night Countdown' after a viral video captured a 'heated moment' between the retired Super Bowl champion and a fan over the weekend.
Eby wants all-party probe into B.C. vote count errors as election boss blames weather
Premier David Eby is proposing an all-party committee investigate mistakes made during the British Columbia election vote tally, including an uncounted ballot box and unreported votes in three-quarters of the province's 93 ridings.
Trudeau and Harris? Poilievre and Trump? Here's who Canadians think would work best with: survey
As Americans prepare to elect their next president on Tuesday, new data from the Angus Reid Institute suggests Canadians hold differing views as to which federal party leaders would be best suited to deal with either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris.