Fair Compensation

Compensation will increase further if employers don't staff to meet patient needs

NURSES HAVE BEEN clear about our need for compensation that rewards their contribution to health care. We've also been clear that employers must match staffing levels with patient care needs.

Our bargaining team found innovative ways to work within the provincial government's bargaining mandate and secure new premiums to compensate nurses for the unique working conditions we face. It was important that health employers deliver not only a salary increase, but that they acknowledge the unique challenges nurses face – and compensate us accordingly.

Nurses will receive a general wage increase of six percent over three years for all members in accordance with the provincial government's sustainable services negotiating mandate that's applicable to all public sector unions.

The proposed contract contains the following improvements:

WAGE INCREASES:

April 1, 2019 2%*

April 1, 2020 2%

April 1, 2021 2%

* Combined with the current NBA contract wage increase of 1.75% effective February 1, 2019, RNs will receive a total wage increase of 3.75% in 2019.

FORENSIC NURSES

Forensic nurses will be integrated into the RN/RPN wage grid and will get the following hourly premiums:

4% of the Level 3 Year 8 wage when working in maximum or multi-level security
2% of the Level 3 Year 4 wage when working in minimum or medium security. Forensic community liaison nurses will also receive the 2% premium.

LPNs

LPNs will be integrated into the NBA's nine-step pay grid based on their current location on the previous six-step grid.

This integration gave our bargaining team a unique opportunity to move money within the nine steps in order to incentivize retention and provide the highest total income over a long career.

In 2021 the highest step on the new LPN grid will be 8.3% higher than the highest step on the old grid. The new Year 9 wage is where long-serving nurses will spend most of their career – it will bring the most overall income and highest possible pension.
LPNs on Step 1 and 2 in 2019, 2020 and 2021 will get an additional $487.50 per year based on the number of hours worked.

LICENSING FEES

Rising regulatory college fees are hitting nurses' wallets. Under the proposed agreement, employers will help nurses cover this cost by partially reimbursing a portion of our college and licensing fees – $215 a year – starting April 1, 2020.

UPDATE (Dec 2018)

UPDATED: February 27, 2023

TIME EQUALS MONEY

No more unpaid end-of-shift work

Unpaid work emerged as a top priority for members ahead of Nurses’ Bargaining Association negotiations. One of the most common and frustrating experiences nurses face today is the expectation that they do unpaid work before and after their shifts.
This normalization of unpaid work is a growing problem that threatens the health and safety of our members and the patients in their care.
Under the terms of the proposed contract, nurses will now be paid for end-of-shift work:

> 1 – 14 minutes will be paid at straight time
> 15 minutes and greater will be paid at overtime rates.