The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE), which represents licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and health care aides in the Alberta Health Services system, announced that it had filed a 72-hour strike notice. The notice was delivered to the employer on Wednesday morning, November 19, at 7:55 a.m. local time, according to AUPE.
If the parties fail to reach an agreement, employees will begin picketing in the coming days.
Negotiations have reached an impasse
In its statement, the union said that mediation with the employer had been unsuccessful: the parties were unable to agree on a temporary agreement, and the mediator did not provide any recommendations.
AUPE emphasizes that the employer's wage proposals are “insufficient,” especially given the workload on employees and the rising cost of living.
According to AUPE chief negotiator Kate Robinson, AHS's latest proposal for so-called “market adjustments” to wages partially increases salaries for LPNs and assistants, but actually widens the gap between the earnings of registered nurses (RNs) and practical nurses. While the difference was about $15 per hour before negotiations began, the new proposal widens it to $20.
The union also argues that even after the pay increase proposed by the employer, LPNs and care aides in Alberta will not be among the highest paid in Canada, while registered nurses will have the best conditions in the country.
What workers are demanding
The main demands of workers are:
- Closing the wage gap between RNs and LPNs/Health Care Aides – the union insists that the expansion of practical nurses' responsibilities must be accompanied by an adequate increase in pay. CityNews Calgary +1
- Improved conditions regarding:
- professional development and paid training days;
- length and schedule of working hours;
- restrictions on the accumulation of overtime hours;
- payment for on-call shifts;
- compensation for the use of personal transportation, as well as benefits and insurance programs.
The union emphasizes that these demands are intended not only to improve the well-being of employees, but also to retain experienced staff in the province's healthcare system, which is already experiencing a staffing shortage.
Alberta's largest legal strike in the healthcare sector
AUPE President Sandra Azocar called the upcoming action “the largest legal strike in Alberta's history under the essential services agreement.”
She stressed that the decision to strike was the result of deep dissatisfaction with working conditions, but at the same time, it was a show of solidarity and willingness on the part of employees to defend their right to fair pay and respect. According to her, the union is aware of the seriousness of this step: not only individual workers are joining the picket lines, but entire families for whom the healthcare worker's salary is the main source of income.
Earlier this month, AUPE members voted almost unanimously—98% of those who voted—in favor of the strike, indicating an extremely high level of support for the union's actions among staff.
How hospitals will operate during the strike
Due to the Essential Services Agreement, approximately 78% of practical nurses and assistants will continue to work even during the strike.
This means that the most critical medical services—emergency care, intensive care, oncology, and other vital areas—must continue to be provided. At the same time, hospitals may experience delays in scheduled procedures, reductions in ancillary services, and an increased workload for non-striking staff.
Political context: the threat of “notwithstanding clauses”
Against the backdrop of the strike announcement in Alberta, there is active discussion of the possibility of the provincial government invoking a notwithstanding clause – a constitutional mechanism that allows certain rights guaranteed by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to be temporarily suspended in order to protect certain laws from legal challenges.
The government has already used this mechanism to end a teachers' strike and protect controversial laws on the rights of transgender youth.
Azocar said that the union is aware of the risk of this tool being used and is ready to actively oppose further “excessive interference” by the authorities in workers' rights.
What's next?
AUPE is calling on the Alberta government and AHS management to return to negotiations with an “improved mandate” and stresses that there is still time to find a fair solution before the strike begins.
At the same time, the union is preparing for a prolonged standoff—members have already been promised strike pay through direct deposits, and the media are reporting widespread support for the workers from other unions and parts of the public.
If no compromise is reached, the strike could become an important test for Alberta's entire healthcare system and another episode in the broader Canadian debate about the value of healthcare workers' labor and the limits of government intervention in labor disputes.