CALGARY, AB: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on the Alberta government to rein in the United Nurses of Alberta’s golden benefits during the on-going labour negotiations.
“Not only are Alberta’s government nurses receiving big salaries compared to their counterparts in other provinces, they’re also receiving golden benefits that must be scaled back,” said Franco Terrazzano, Alberta Director for the CTF. “Premier Jason Kenney needs to pull Albertans out of the $70-billion debt hole and reining in these golden benefits is the perfect place to start.”
The CTF released government data obtained through freedom of information requests that shows UNA nurses are receiving exorbitant benefits, such as:
A top UNA registered nurse is eligible for about $20,000 in “benefits/pension/lump sum” payments every year, according to government data obtained through freedom of information requests.
These benefits are in addition to high salaries. For all five UNA nursing positions government data was provided for (licensed practical nurses are not under UNA), Alberta’s maximum hourly salary rates are higher than those in every other province, except for one type of position in Ontario (graduate nurse).
“Most Albertans would be laughed out of the room if we approached our boss demanding these types of benefits,” said Terrazzano. “It’s not fair to make struggling taxpayers continue to pay for golden benefits on-top of high Alberta government salaries.”
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— Franco Terrazzano, Federal Director