Hospital staff back to work after AUPE reaches tentative deal

EDMONTON — The union representing 16,000 hospital workers says it reached a tentative agreement with Alberta’s health authority a minute before its members hit the picket lines Saturday morning.

Sandra Azocar, president of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees, or AUPE, says its members, some of whom had already walked off the job by the time they received word on the agreement, have been ordered back to work.

“Our strike preparedness, our unity and our determination brought (Alberta Health Services) right to the edge and they chose not to jump,” Azocar told a news conference on Saturday.

“This deal may not include 100 per cent of what we asked for, but it sets a new standard in health care and more broadly in the labour movement…It addresses the priorities that matter most to our members and provides a foundation we can continue to build on.”

Azocar said union members, a majority of whom are licensed practical nurses and health-care aides, will meet at a town hall on Nov. 25 to hear details of the offer.

Voting will take place over possibly three days after the town hall, she said.

The union’s lead negotiator, Kate Robinson, says the agreement includes a 12 per cent wage increase over four years, with a 10 per cent market adjustment for licensed practical nurses and four per cent for hospital aides.

“And a really big part of this is all of those market adjustments are retroactive to April 1, 2024,” Robinson said.

Robinson said the significant retroactive pay was not being offered in previous negotiations.

Minister of Finance Nate Horner said Saturday the government is feeling encouraged by the agreement.

“The strike has been averted,” he said in a statement.

“Both parties have worked extremely hard over the last several days to reach this outcome, and we appreciate their commitment to finding a path forward that supports stability in Alberta’s health-care system.”

AHS didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday.

During her call-in radio show Saturday, Premier Danielle Smith said the government is very pleased with the agreement.

“There was a lot of people up very late last night, trying to to bridge that final gap,” she said.

“We really weren’t that far apart. It was just frustrating, everyone was, ‘Oh what do we do to get to that finish line.'”

The union has said it hopes government continues working with it to address a 12 per cent worker vacancy rate across the health-care system after an agreement is reached.

Smith said those issues will be addressed after the vote.

“Not everything can be resolved at the bargaining table,” she said.

Last month, the government used the notwithstanding clause to order 51,000 striking teachers back to work. The clause allows government to override certain Charter rights for up to five years.

Azocar said the union knew it was a possibility the province could do the same to AUPE members.

“But we were also very ready to take any legal fight that was necessary,” she said.

The union gave strike notice to Alberta Health Services on Wednesday after bargaining fell apart over wages.

Picket lines had been anticipated at health centres and hospitals starting at 8: 30 a.m. Saturday.

About 78 per cent of union members are essential workers, meaning not all would have been legally permitted to strike, so they were planning to rotate shifts on picket lines.

About 98 per cent of members who voted earlier this month had approved the job action.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 22, 2025

Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press