Nurses picket outside Sturgeon Community Hospital: 'Looking for a fair contract'
Alberta's nurses union is drawing attention to the province's proposal to roll back nurses' wages by three per cent with an information picket at a St. Albert hospital.
By 6:30 a.m. Monday, about a dozen picketers had gathered outside the Sturgeon Community Hospital.
Among them was registered nurse and union local president Orissa Shima, whose sign around her neck read, "Willing to strike for a fair contract."
She said she and her colleagues wanted to let the public know they aren't prepared to take a wage cut after the pandemic, and are equal to a five per cent rollback when other proposed changes are factored in.
"We're being fed a narrative that it is us, the frontline heroes, that need to pay for bad government policy and government debt, like we haven't paid already with time away from our families, fear of catching COVID, and spreading COVID in the early months, moral injury, and burning out," Shima told CTV News Edmonton.
"What is a thank you when you're telling us we're worth less?" she asked. "It's a slap in the face, it's a punch in the gut, after all we've been through and given during this pandemic."
A week earlier, Alberta's finance minister said the proposal was part of work to get the province's finances "back on track" and that nurses there make 5.6 per cent more than their counterparts across the country.
According to Statistics Canada, nursing wages averaged $44.12 in June, the highest rate of the provinces but near B.C. and Saskatchewan's roughly $43 wages and Manitoba's $41.46 wages. Across Canada, the median was $39.72.
"That's part of the Alberta advantage," Shima said, noting Alberta workers see larger pay cheques in multiple sectors.
The government's proposal also includes eliminating semi-annual lump sum payments, reducing shift and weekend premiums, and removing charge nurse positions.
Both Shima and a nurse of 35 years called that last change dangerous.
"Things we were fighting for then," Sharon Lloyd commented, referencing the 1998 nurses strike she was a part of, "we are still fighting for now: patient safety, patient ratios, a nurse in charge on a unit. Yes, compensation is important. We don't want to be rolled back; we were rolled back in the 90s and we were rolled back for job security -- that's what they're saying now. That they'll roll us back for job security. And we don't believe them. We don't trust them anymore."
The government returns to the bargaining table with United Nurses of Alberta on Aug. 4 and 5.
Official Opposition and Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley has characterized the negotiations as "bad faith bargaining" that is driving workers to quit or find work outside Alberta.
The Alberta government has also proposed a four per cent rollback for hospital staff and, in 2020, announced a plan to lay off up to 11,000 Alberta Health Services jobs as a cost-savings measure.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Nahreman Issa
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Here's how much more Canadian landlords are asking for now, according to a just-released report
A new report says the average asking rent for a home in Canada in April was up 9.3 per cent compared with a year ago, while a slight month-over-month increase was also recorded for the first time since January.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
What is basic income, and how would it impact me?
Parliamentarians are considering a pair of bills aiming to lift people out of poverty through a basic income program, but some fear these types of systems could result in more taxes for Canadians who are already financially struggling.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
'I may have some nightmares:' Man survives being bitten by 2 sharks in Bahamas
A man who was bitten by two sharks in the Bahamas said Thursday he's 'thankful that I'm here' while sharing his story of survival.
Out-of-control wildfire burning near Fort McMurray
As of 9 a.m. on Friday, the wildfire burning 28 kilometres southwest of the northeastern Alberta city was 25 hectares in size.
Mexico's president accuses press and volunteer searchers for missing people of 'necrophilia'
The administration of Mexico's president has accused the press and volunteer searchers who look for the bodies of missing people of 'necrophilia,' comments that drew criticism this week.