Why is the LPN wage in Alberta one of the lowest in Canada?

Fiona59 · May 5, 2008

The answer is fairly simple. Alberta has a history of being an anti-union province. The word union is a dirty word to a lot of Albertans.

LPNs bargain under the AUPE banner. AUPE is a large union dominated by provincial government employees and the prison guards. In fact we make it a point to educate prison guards when they are in the hospitals with prisoners as to what our role, education, and responsibility level is. The prison guards over the years have held many of the important positions within the union. When they find out what really do and that they usually have to read the name tags to find out who is registered and who is licensed they are pretty amazed to find out what "our" union has in the past accepted as a fair wage for us.

We are also classified as "essential" workers and striking is illegal. Whenever we have gone out, we have been ordered back to work and the union has been fined.

There is a strong distrust of UNA which bargains for the RNs in this province. Many PNs are dismayed by disrespectful comments made by UNA and CARNA toward the the need for a "registered nurse for safe hospital care in Alberta". The media campaign is distasteful to say as little as is politely possible.

Many PNs feel that they need to belong to HSAA which bargains for lab techs, rad. techs, and the like. HSAA pretty much bargains for the majority of health care professionals.

It is a myth that entry level jobs are paying what a new grad makes. Yes, it is around $17/$18 hour. But the Tim Hortons which is managed by the hospital catering divisions start their food handlers at $12-$13/hour.

Yes we are underpaid, but this round of negotations should do a lot.

You've got to remember that provinces like BC only have two steps in their PN grid. So a new grad is making as much as someone with experience. BC has historically had a strong union presence and some feel that wages there were artificially high across the province due to the high cost of living in the lower mainland.

So AUPE is currently bargaining for us and has the message loud and clear that the professional nurses they represent are not happy with their previous performance and that they need to step up to the plate for their members.

edmontonain · Jun 5, 2008

I agree with some of what Fiona said.

But I believe that the government encourages RNs and LPNs to be divided. It is time for LPNs and RNs to start acting as a team. The old divide and conquer technique has gone on long enough. I suggest that LPNs and RNs should be in the same union.

Unfortunately, because AUPE does not want to lose members, they often encourage LPNs to believe that UNA is anti-LPN, which is not the case.

Fiona59 · Jun 5, 2008

Well, CARNA is certainly anti-LPN for all their "we're a team" babble. If you've ever sat through one of their joint presentations with CLPNA you've heard it and seen the reactions of the PNs in the audience.

UNA bargains fast and hard for the RNs and they promote the concept that the only quality care is provide by RNs. Joining them is of no real advantage because they have the RN mindset.

The government has very little to do with the RN/LPN division. CLPNA was the first nursing body to be under the "new" legislation for health professionals a few years back. If anything the government wants to lump us with as many skills under our scope of practice as possible because LPNs are great value for the money.

It is a sad fact that raw UNE's make more than seasoned LPNs and I know managers and educators that find it insulting to their unit's LPNs. Ultimately is management of the health authorities that negotiate with AUPE and managment has the LPNs over a barrel. There are more service workers in the hospital bargaining units than LPNs so we traditionally wind up settling for less than we are worth. In 2006, AUPE promised that the next contract would be in our favour. I hardly call 4% in '08, 4% in '09 and undisclosed amounts for the following two years to our advantage.

HSAA cover the technicians and other licensed personnel. Have you seen what Health Record Technicians or medical transcriptionists make? They start off at more than LPNs do.

So, if we remain in AUPE, we need to form our own local/bargaining unit and bargain as the LPN branch for all facilities or we need to go under the wing of HSAA.

LPNs with way more experience than myself have told me that compared to how they used to bargain, AUPE is a step up over the old "guild" that bargained for us in the 1990s and earlier.

It is time the facility management recognize us for the professional nurses we are and stop lumping us in with housekeeping, NAs, and dietary. All of whom provide valuable and necessary services but do so without the educational and licence that we are required to obtain.

edmontonain · Jun 6, 2008

CARNA certainly has a (well deserved) reputation of being elitist and out of touch with the reality of what really happens out on the floor.

UNA does a good job for their members. They are RN focussed because that is who they represent. I expect that if LPNs begin to join, they will do a good for for LPNs as well.

It is completely ridiculous that undergrad RNs with zero experience make as much or more than a seasoned LPN.

The government has made laws that for Regional Health Authorities, there are 4 bargaining units (1) general support (2) auxiliary nursing - usually NAs and LPNs (3) direct nursing care and (4) paramedical professional and technical.

So there is no way to have your own bargaining unit.

It is just my opinion, but I think that years ago, it may have been true that LPNs were basically assistants, but those days are long past. LPNs are professionals, and ought to be treated as such. Some RNs may be stuck in the past, but I believe that it is time for everyone to admit that things have evolved and LPNs are performing direct nursing care.

I believe that the division of RN vrs LPN just plays into managements hands. They of course want to pay employees less.

Fiona59 · Jun 6, 2008

So which side of the fence are you on, Edmontonian? You give no details in your description. RN, LPN, RPN, managment, union steward, or government shill?

edmontonain · Jun 6, 2008

Actually 2 of the above - RPN and union stewart.

Corwynn · Mar 29, 2011

I am a member of NSNU which includes RN's and LPN's and the team works well. As far as wages go, the minimum starting wage for AUPE LPN"s from what I can see is higher than what our top increment is here in NS. I am top of the wage scale at 21.62/hr. I am currently in the process of moving to Edmonton and looking at an 8 dollar an hour raise just for moving and doing the same work. Hardly seems like Alberta is at the bottom of the wage food chain to me.

MissMcCoy · Mar 29, 2011

Have things maybe changed since 2008?

Corwynn · Mar 29, 2011

Not greatly pay scale wise no. Although since I started nursing in NS the wage has increase from 13.46 for a new grad starting out to 15.55. Still kind of sad given the comparison to other provinces in Canada. Add in our ridiculous tax rate and you are working for peanuts.

OgopogoLPN, LPN, RN · Mar 30, 2011

This thread was written in 2008, before the new contract which brought LPN wages up quite a bit in Alberta. Previous to this, they were some of the lowest in Canada.

Fiona59 · Mar 31, 2011

I'm not sure they were posting about Alberta, or if they were they are living in an alternative universe. I'm thinking $21 is the starting rate and the top line is just under $30 before premiums.