❤️ Support Alberta’s Licensed Practical Nurses: Bargaining Day Update

*Shared at the request of supporters and frontline professionals.*

Today marks an important milestone: Bargaining Day for Alberta’s Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs). We invite all friends, colleagues, and community members to read, share, and stand in solidarity. Let’s raise awareness and advocate for fair treatment of those who care for us.

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🩺 LPNs Are Not RNs - And That Matters

While both LPNs and Registered Nurses (RNs) are essential to our health care system, they belong to separate unions and have distinct roles:

- RNs are represented by the United Nurses of Alberta (UNA).

- LPNs are represented by the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE).

AUPE is one of the largest unions in Alberta, with approximately 95,000 members across 250+ bargaining units, organized under four sectors:

- Government

- Health Care

- Education

- Boards, Agencies & Local Government

LPNs fall under the “Auxiliary Nursing / Nursing Care” bargaining unit, and many are employed by Alberta Health Services (AHS).

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📅 Contract Status: 18 Months Without a New Agreement

The last collective agreement between AUPE and AHS for LPNs expired on March 31, 2024. As of October 2025, LPNs have been working without a ratified contract for over 18 months. Bargaining has been ongoing, with disputes including bad-faith complaints and delays that have left LPNs without the recognition and compensation they deserve.

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🧠 What Do LPNs Actually Do?

LPNs are highly skilled professionals who provide critical care across Alberta. Their scope of practice has expanded significantly in recent years, including:

- Starting and administering IV medications

- Chemotherapy and immunotherapy infusions

- Administering blood and blood products

- Diagnostic imaging contrast agents

- Advanced wound care

- Central and peripheral catheter medication administration

- Total parenteral nutrition

- Nitrous oxide administration

- Medication dispensing (Pass & Bridge)

- Ear syringing

- Fetal heart monitoring

- Immunizations

- Non-ionizing radiation procedures

- Pain assessment and management

- Palliative care

- Safeguarding patients from sexual abuse and misconduct

- and more

These responsibilities reflect a high level of clinical expertise, yet LPNs continue to face compensation that does not match their contributions.

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💬 Why This Matters

In many health care settings, you wouldn’t know the difference between an RN and an LPN without reading their name tag. Both are integral to your care, your family’s well-being, and the strength of our health system.

So we ask:

Isn’t your health care team worth fair pay and respect?

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📢 Please share this post. Let’s amplify the voices of Alberta’s LPNs.

They care for us - it’s time we care for them.