about 27,000 alberta health-care workers approve contract deal with ahs
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a contract agreement centring on wages for 27,000 health-care workers in the province has been finalized with alberta health services.
on saturday, the provincial government and the alberta union of provincial employees announced aupe members approved the pact that gives medical support staff wage hikes of 12 per cent over the next four years that are also retroactive to april 1, 2024. that’s when the workers’ contract expired.
the deal moves alberta into compensation comparable to other government workers, said finance minister nate horner.
“this new collective agreement provides fair compensation increases in line with the other public sector deals and improved benefits for (general support staff) members,” horner said in a statement.
of the 61.5 per cent of eligible ahs support staff workers who voted, 79.2 per cent endorsed the new contract as did 94.4 per cent of the 54.5 per cent of qualified lamont health care centre workers, said aupe.
‘major investment’
those workers will also “
earn no less than a living wage of $22.65 by april 1, 2027,” while those who’ve worked continuously and consecutively for that employer will receive a 2 per cent long-service wage hike, said the union.
those workers perform tasks ranging from systems analysts and it staff to clerks, porters surgical processors and housekeepers.
it’s an agreement that completes negotiations with the province’s main health-care sectors for the latest round of bargaining, said horner.
“it also concludes collective bargaining with the province’s major health sectors for this round of negotiations. having these agreements in place is a major investment in our health-care system and provides stability for all albertans.”
aupe president sandra azocar said contracts remain to be negotiated with several other health-care bargaining units that total 20,000 of its members and include support staff and long-term care workers, she said.
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‘ongoing fight’
that’s about 20 per cent of aupe’s membership, said azocar.
“we’re far from being at a place where we’re at the end of bargaining … a lot of them are private providers that are funded by government, so it’s an ongoing fight,” said azocar.
but she said the agreement reached with support staff help on ensuring a living wage goes some way to address the plight of workers living in poverty, she said.
“many of our people have to work two or three jobs to make ends meet, that lifts 8,000 of our members from poverty wages,” said azocar.
as for the 12 per cent wage hike, she said, “we’ve been far behind the cost of living and 3 per cent (annual wage hike) barely covers that inflation.”
wages and working conditions for many long-term care workers remain “atrocious” and means there’s little hiring incentive in those areas, added azocar.
x: @billkaufmannjrn
this article was originally published on the calgary herald on february 7, 2026.
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