LAKELAND - The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) has voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike, with 80 per cent of members participating in the vote and 90.1 per cent of voters in favour of a strike.
A spokesperson for the union said there are 239 members in Lac La Biche, Smoky Lake, Cold Lake, Bonnyville, Elk Point, St. Paul, and Two Hills who work in areas including child and youth services, law enforcement and corrections, administration and administrative support, in the courts and justice system.
According to AUPE Vice-president James Gault, the union and the government are “miles apart” in negotiations.
“They’re looking for cost of living protections of course, but they’re also looking for mental supports and solutions to the staffing crisis that’s going on in this province within the Government of Alberta,” sad Gault.
In an e-mailed statement, Justin Brattinga, a spokesperson for Minister of Finance Nate Horner, said the government “believes in a market-based approach to public bargaining.”
“AUPE’s activist leadership is pushing for a strike vote as they demand 30 per cent pay raises, more than double the increase ratified by nurses. We will continue to make offers informed by data, not rhetoric,” said Brattinga.
The United Nurses of Alberta recently ratified a four-year collective agreement which according to UNA included an overall increase of about 20 per cent, a restructured wage grid, and an explicit commitment to safe staffing.
Gault said the problem with the government’s offer is that “they were offering less than 30 per cent of the Union [membership] any type of sustainable action.”
“But the problem is - and you'll see it across every union that you speak to that deals with public services - people have worked short staffed for years. They've battled burnout and the rise of workloads, and it's not sustainable, and that's what the employers are not willing to hear,” said Gault.
The strike vote is valid for the next 120 days.
