After months of deep negotiations with the provincial government, the Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA) has reached a tentative agreement between its members. Here’s why HSAA President Mike Parker strongly endorsed the agreement. It gives those 22,000 unionized workers a 12 percent raise over the next four years. Although such cooperation is not uncommon today, Parker is reluctant to advocate firmly for union members to ratify the deal. He worries the proposal doesn’t go far enough.
In the agreement, approximately one-fifth of HSAA workers—considered among the lowest paid in the union—will see salary adjustments aimed at aligning their wages with colleagues from other provinces. This decision is part of a broader plan to increase compensation for health professionals in Alberta. It comes as a corrective to recent settlements reached by other health unions.
Tentative Deal Details
HSAA members will be able to vote on the tentative agreement online starting August 28. They only have until September 11 to do so. The negotiations have been contentious, having hit a stalemate as recently as last weekend. Parker has been keen to point out that the deal is falling short, but it really is the best deal under the circumstances.
“Did we get everything we were looking for? No,” – Mike Parker
Parker pointed out that the tentative agreement includes a letter of understanding. The intent of this letter is to hold both parties accountable to conducting a comprehensive study of health professional salaries across the prairie provinces and Ontario. We hope that this analysis helps inform future negotiations, leading to improvements in actor pay in this industry.
First, Jason Foster, president of the HSAA, acknowledged that members’ expectations have changed. This change follows on the heels of the United Nurses of Alberta winning an outstanding 20 percent wage increase over four years. In response, Rep. Smith shared concern that the current proposal may be too hard for certain members to swallow.
“They probably have a sense that their members aren’t going to be particularly thrilled with it,” – Jason Foster
Context of Negotiations
The HSAA’s struggle to achieve a new contract has stretched on for 16 months. That should make Alberta Finance Minister Nate Horner very happy. After a long and difficult negotiating process, they were pleased to have made it to a tentative agreement. The HSAA spent part of the summer training its members, in case they needed to go on strike. This unusual preparation further underscores how dangerous and unprecedented this situation truly is.
In parallel, there are international labor negotiations boistering other healthcare unions enchanted by the growth of Unite Here. The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE), 95 percent of whose members are essential workers, has been without a contract since April 2024. They’re planning to be in position to serve a strike notice by September 6 and to walk off the job 72 hours later if talks fail.
Future Steps
HSAA members are currently preparing to hold a ratification vote on the terms of the tentative agreement. Parker and Foster understand full well that this should not be the final word on wages and working conditions for health professionals in Alberta.
“The people who need to make that decision on next steps are the members of HSAA who have to work under this agreement,” – Mike Parker
Parker ended with a somewhat optimistic view of the future state of negotiations.
“I don’t think this is over yet,” – Mike Parker
Public health advocates are looking forward to hearing more from their members. The impacts of this agreement will undoubtedly set the stage for other federally mediated labor negotiations within Alberta’s healthcare sector. Unions are taking the battle to the streets for pay equity. With the world’s eyes upon them, they continue to address systemic issues within the province’s healthcare system.
