AUPE Nursing Care Staff Vote 98% in Favour of Strike Action

Thousands of North Zone workers, including those in the Lakeland, could be impacted if talks fail

Nursing care staff represented by the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) have voted 98 per cent in favour of strike action, marking one of the strongest strike mandates in Alberta’s recent health-care history.

The vote, held between October 30 and November 3, saw more than 11,000 members cast ballots. AUPE represents roughly 16,000 licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and health care aides (HCAs) working for Alberta Health Services (AHS) and affiliated care providers across the province.

That includes hundreds of staff in AHS’s North Zone, which covers the Lakeland region — from Bonnyville and Cold Lake through St. Paul, Elk Point, and Lac La Biche. The North Zone employs more than 10,000 AHS workers, though current figures for LPNs and HCAs have not been publicly broken down by zone.

AUPE President Sandra Azocar said members voted overwhelmingly to strike because of stagnant wages and unsafe working conditions.

“They’re fed up with stagnant wages and unsafe working conditions that hurt workers, patients, and Alberta’s public health care system,” said Azocar at a news conference in Edmonton.

The union says contract talks broke down in April but will return to mediation November 6–9. If no deal is reached, AUPE could serve strike notice as early as November 17.

Finance Minister Nate Horner said he’s disappointed by the vote, noting the province has offered a 12 per cent wage increase over four years, consistent with other public-sector settlements. He said the union’s counter-proposal, which seeks to close the wage gap between LPNs and registered nurses, would cost more than $2 billion.

AUPE lead negotiator Kate Robinson said Alberta’s LPNs perform about 84 per cent of the duties of registered nurses but earn only 67 per cent of their pay — placing them seventh in Canada for wages.

“There’s a long way to go to catch up with the rest of Canada,” Robinson said. “And the 12 per cent over four years just drives that gap even further apart.”

The union also represents health care aides, who will become a regulated profession in February, adding another layer to the talks. An essential-services agreement is already in place to ensure patient care continues if a strike occurs.

Labour unrest has grown across Alberta in recent months. AUPE’s vote follows the Alberta Teachers’ Association’s three-week strike earlier this fall, which the government ended using the notwithstanding clause — a move critics fear could happen again.

For now, all eyes are on mediation. If talks fail, hospitals, long-term care homes, and community facilities across the North Zone — including right here in the Lakeland — could soon feel the impact.