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By rdnewsNOW staff

Vote Feb. 4-6

AUPE General Support Services and AHS reach tentative agreement

Jan 30, 2026 | 1:38 PM

The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) has announced it has reached a tentative collective agreement with Alberta Health Services (AHS).

According to a media release, AHS sent an offer to AUPE’s negotiating team during the formal mediation process.

As a result, the General Support Services (GSS) members will vote on the agreement online from February 4-6 to either accept or decline the offer.

Negotiations have been ongoing with AHS since February 2024 and have involved over 27,000 GSS members.

Some of the highlights of the agreement, reported by the AUPE, include wages for all members, benefits, severance, job security, and a long service increment of two per cent of continuous and consecutive years of service with the employer.

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AUPE President Sandra Azocar said this tentative agreement is a win for AUPE health care workers.  

“To say this was a hard-won fight is an understatement,” Azocar said. “We have been working short-staffed and battling privatization and budget cuts for years.”

Meantime, Alberta’s Minister of Finance, Nate Horner, said he’s pleased to hear a tentative agreement has been reached.

“This comes after months of dedicated negotiations, and I thank both parties for their efforts. Alberta’s government also thanks the hardworking members of general support services for their ongoing contributions to our health care system,” he said in a statement.

“If ratified by the membership, this deal will help provide long-term stability to Alberta’s health care workforce. Out of respect for the ratification process, we will not comment further at this time.”

The workers will meet to discuss the agreement at two telephone town hall meetings on Feb. 3. The tentative agreement is being recommended by the negotiating team, according to the AUPE.