LAKELAND - As members of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) continue collective bargaining negotiations with the government of Alberta, meetings will be held throughout the month of June in 52 town hall meetings across the province- including the Lakeland.
Communities in northeastern Alberta will host nine of these events, called “Time for Action” town halls, with one taking place at the Ramada in Lac La Biche on June 6 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. There are also town halls in Cold Lake (June 10 6:30 – 8: p.m. at the Best Western Inn), Athabasca (June 11, Multiplex and Aquatic Centre) and St. Paul on June 19 at the Canalta Hotel from 6:30-8:00 p.m.
James Gault, the AUPE vice-president for northeastern Alberta said there are about 3,400 AUPE members in the Lakeland region, including nearly 300 in Lac La Biche. These members, he continued, work in a variety of areas, including health care, government services, education, as well as for government boards and agencies in numerous occupations.
“They are in both the public and private sector,” Gault stated.
Gault said the meetings are important because negotiations have already reached a critical stage at bargaining tables across the province. He added that these town halls will not be open to the public.
“Most of our employers are taking orders from the Government of Alberta and their proposals show almost no interest in improving our wages and working conditions,” Gault told Lakeland This Week. “It is time for AUPE members to decide how we will fight for what we deserve.”
According to an information release from the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees, 82,000 AUPE members entered collective bargaining this year. These workers are proposing wage increases to combat the rising cost of living as well as better benefits and working conditions.
Furthermore, most of the employers whom AUPE members work for are offering “unacceptable contracts and minimal wage-adjustments” and almost no improvements to working conditions.” Alberta Health Services, Covenant Health, and the University of Calgary were named as some of the employers “which take bargaining queues from the Government of Alberta’s proposals.”
As far as what happens next, Gault says that’s for AUPE members to decide. However, he added that the union will remain strong in its fight for fair collective agreements.
“We are fighting for higher wages, increased job security, improved workloads, and better benefits, and have no intention of backing down,” he stated.
Provincially, Guy Smith, the president of AUPE, stated that negotiations at many bargaining tables are reaching a critical stage and that the time has come for AUPE members to prepare for action.
“We must be ready to support each other in our collective struggles for better wages, job security, and working conditions,” he stated.
