WESTLOCK – Local members of the Albert Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) made their voices heard in Westlock and Barrhead last week ahead of contract negotiations with the provincial government.
Members of AUPE Local 43, Chapter 6, were joined by other unions, and public workers for an information picket in Westlock July 16 outside the Westlock Heathcare Centre and July 18 in Barrhead as part of a series of “Time For Action” rallies being held across the province in July and August.
Drivers passing by honked horns in a show of support during the 90-minute rally in Westlock.
AUPE Northwest Region vice-president, Sandra Azocar, said they’ve been asking the government to address the healthcare staffing shortage for decades.
“It became a worse situation after COVID-19, and it has now become a crisis situation across rural Alberta,” said Azocar. “They need to come up with a concrete and very intentional human service resource plan rather than constantly just putting band-aids on different solutions.
Also at issue for the union are what they say are under-resourced and under-funded essential services, such as health services, children’s services and fire protection services.
“It always comes down to the lack of services that rural communities end up having, which is why Alberta has the highest rate of urbanization,” said Azocar. “If you can’t live in a community that provides those services, you end up moving to bigger centres,” she added, noting the need for workers to make a living wage.
“We want our members to have a work-life balance that will allow them to go home at the end of the day and not have to worry about how they’re going to pay their rent or buy food.”
When asked if anyone had spoken with Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock MLA Glenn van Dijken about their concerns, Azocar said he should “be aware of what is happening to people that work in his community.”
“Our members are also part of his constituency and he should be concerned about the affordability issues facing his constituents.”
The local AUPE chapter covers the communities of Westlock, Barrhead, Boyle, Athabasca, Thorhild, Wabasca, and Slave Lake.
MLA responds
van Dijken said although he knows about current negotiations, he was not aware of the rallies taking place across the province but stressed that when you have negotiations between two parties, you have to balance both sides.
“It’s like any workplace, there’s appreciation and respect for workers. When you’re in bargaining the employer here, the government has to also respect the taxpayer,” said van Dijken, noting negotiations will move forward in that regard.
“At the end of the day, compensation in Alberta is one of the best in the county and compensation needs to continue to be competitive in order to ensure that we have the workface available and fair, to both the employees and fair to the taxpaying public.”
AUPE Local 43 Chapter 6 president Judy Bickerstaff noted the message they shared was “not just about wages” but about job protection as well.
“I think it’s good to let everybody know,” said Bickerstaff.
Prior to the rallies, AUPE held town halls for its members in June, where they shared details about the ongoing negotiations.
James Gault, vice-president for the AUPE Northeast Region, said although 82,000 AUPE members are in negotiations now by the end of the summer almost 250,000 members from all unions will be negotiating with the government.
“There’s a lot of negotiations going on right now. We have different tables … so they’re all different unions and our union has been in negotiations for quite some time,” said Gault, noting the United Nurses of Alberta (UNA) as an example.
“These contracts are now coming up. These are new contracts that we have to work on and we’re at an impasse with most, when it comes to different things so we will be moving towards mediation.”
AUPE is the largest union with 100,000 members and includes licensed practical nurses (LPN), healthcare aides, long-term care workers, government workers, workers with various boards and agencies, workers in the liquor, gaming and cannabis sector and workers in education such as those at Lakeland College and Athabasca University.
Gault said the rally in Westlock and other communities across the province, was not just about wages, but also job security.
“When these small hospitals in a small town like Westlock close, you have to go somewhere else for it … that’s what we’re fighting for, along with better mental health, better benefits,” said Gault. “But it’s the job protection that we need.
“Not long ago all of these people were considered heroes and now they have no interest in paying them what they’re worth at all,” Gault said.
kjean@greatwest.ca