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Red Deer June 20, 2024

AUPE to hold province-wide bargaining town halls

May 30, 2024 | 12:10 PM

The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) is holding 52 province-wide town halls as negotiations with the Government of Alberta, Alberta Health Services, and several more employers reach a critical stage.

According to AUPE officials, the union’s Time for Action town halls, which are scheduled throughout June, will bring members together for an update on negotiations and important discussions about how members will fight for what they feel they deserve at the bargaining table.

“Negotiations at many bargaining tables are reaching a critical stage,” says AUPE President Guy Smith. “It is time 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.”

According to union officials, 82,000 AUPE members entered collective bargaining this year. Officials say they have proposed increases to wages, benefits, and working conditions that reflect the invaluable work they do and the need to keep up with the rising cost of living.

According to the AUPE though, most of their employers are offering unacceptable contracts with minimal wage-adjustments and almost no improvements to working conditions, especially employers such as Alberta Health Services, Covenant Health, the University of Calgary, and other post-secondary institutions, which the union says, take bargaining queues from the Government of Alberta’s proposals.

“AUPE members are demanding better for all Albertans,” says AUPE Vice-President Darren Graham, who represents members in the central region of the province. “Better collective agreements mean workers not only get the support and respect we deserve, but it also means better services and care for the Albertans who depend on us.”

The town halls in Red Deer and surrounding communities include:

June 6, Camrose
June 10, Olds
June 11, Stettler
June 12, Wetaskiwin
June 17, Drayton Valley
June 18, Drumheller
June 18, Wainwright
June 19, Hanna
June 20, Red Deer
June 24, Rocky Mountain House

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