Overview
- About 16,000 AUPE-represented workers are covered, with roughly 3,500 set to join rotating pickets at major hospitals starting at 8:30 a.m. Saturday.
- Alberta Health Services and the government say contingency plans and essential-services rules will keep approximately 80% of LPNs and HCAs working.
- AUPE says elective surgeries are being cancelled as job action begins, while AHS says no postponements have been made yet and patients will be notified if that changes.
- The dispute is centered on wages and pay equity, with the union citing about a nine per cent gap from its demands and raising concerns about vacancy and retention pressures.
- The government highlights a 12% wage offer over four years and urges a negotiated settlement, after 98% of voting members authorized strike action.