Tentative deal reached between Red Deer seniors’ home and AUPE, ending dispute

Substantial wage increases bring wages in line with market standards: AUPE

Staff at the Symphony Senior Living Aspen Ridge care facility in Red Deer, Alta., are back at work Feb. 4 after a labour dispute between the facility and its union came to an end.

About 130 members of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) voted in favour of the agreement on Feb. 2, putting an end to a strike and lockout that started Jan. 28.

“We’re pleased a tentative agreement could be reached both sides find acceptable,” AUPE president Guy Smith said in a press release.

The new deal includes 18.4 per cent wage increases for licensed practical nurses, 38.3 per cent increases for health care aides, and 17.2 to 18.2 per cent for support workers, which the union says brings their wages in line with industry standards.

“Health-care employees shouldn’t be paid less simply because they are working for a private contractor,” Smith told the CBC.

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