AUPE’s government employees vote 90% in favour of strike; post-secondary, nurses bargaining continues to be rocky

“Our strike vote is valid for the next 120 days, but your bargaining committee’s primary focus is reaching a good deal at the bargaining table,” the union said in an update to members Tuesday.

“It is essential to understand that our demands are grounded in achieving fair compensation that acknowledges the economic realities faced by our members. We remain steadfast in our commitment to good faith negotiations and will continue to push for an equitable agreement. We call on the government to move beyond dismissive rhetoric and engage constructively.”

An AUPE spokesperson shared with rdnewsNOW that a four-year deal has been proposed, with yearly increases of 10.0, 6.0, 4.0 and 4.0 per cent, respectively, plus market adjustments. That amounts to 24 per cent over the term.

The employer — the Government of Alberta — has come back with yearly raises of 3.0, 2.75, 2.25, and 2.0 per cent — or a combined 10.0 per cent.

Nate Horner, Alberta’s President of Treasury Board and Minister of Finance, spoke to media Tuesday, saying the strike vote is unfortunate.

“They’ve been saying they need this strike vote to get a better deal from the Government of Alberta, so it’s somewhat predictable,” he said, then asked about the option to lock out.

“It’s definitely an option. No decisions have been made, nor will it be in the coming days, but they’ve said they want to come back to the table. I haven’t really been debriefed, so we’ll take them at their word.”

Asked if he’s confident a deal can be struck, Horner said he has no intention to let the process play out for the 120 days the vote is valid. But, he said, there’s a “big, big gap.”

“I’m confident we’re offering a fair deal,” Horner said. “Nobody wants to see this kind of disruption, but we have contingency plans. There’s an essential services agreement.”

That agreement means that even in the case of a strike, certain services must continue.

A strike or a lockout, he added, won’t change the market data they’re using to try and come to a fair deal.

NURSES

It’s true, the AUPE spokesperson also shared, the results of AUPE bargaining for Government of Alberta workers typically sets the tone for other non-government employee bargaining, be it with the AUPE, or other unions like the United Nurses of Alberta (UNA).

The UNA recently voted down an unsatisfying deal, but went on to secure a much better one.

That occurred in March after six weeks of formal mediation, netting them a four-year deal with an overall wage increase of 20 per cent, plus other improvements.

Speaking of health care, the AUPE is rallying its members Wednesday, May 14 outside Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre, in an effort, it says, to “demonstrate their bargaining power.”

The employer there is Alberta Health Services, whom AUPE vice president Darren Graham says “won’t even consider our proposals. But these AUPE members are front-line health care workers — our patients depend on us and we all deserve better.”

The rally runs from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., along 43 street outside the hospital.

POST-SECONDARIES

The rocky bargaining continues at Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP) and Olds College, and other post-secondary institutions such as SAIT and the University of Calgary (U of C).

At RDP, says AUPE vice president, Edmonton region, Bobby-Joe Borodey, there were upwards of 33 layoffs this spring, 17 of which were AUPE members.

This came after two actions by the province — allowing RDP to run a deficit budget for multiple years, and not implementing any increase to base funding for institutions.

That means members will be looking over their shoulder for the next couple years wondering if they’re next, says Borodey, also a longtime employee at Olds College.

The AUPE has 500+ members at RDP, but collective bargaining is in the early stages and neither side has made a monetary proposal.

“They’ve been working for a year without a collective agreement, so not only are you working in a climate of anxiety because you’re not sure if you’ll get an appropriate wage increase, but now you’re also concerned about the ability to keep your job,” she says.

“Ultimately, the institution decides which positions will be impacted, but they are forced to make these decisions because the government is providing no additional funding. Essentially [the government is] divesting in our post-secondary system.”

RDP was asked to provide comment, and pointed us to their collective bargaining updates page. There, it’s noted the sides met May 6-7, and that they discussed non-monetary matters related to probation, hours of work and grievances. Monetary proposals will be put forward in late July.

RDP also noted that in February 2025, they shared the school was projecting a $10 million deficit for 2025/2026. Around the same time, they shared the plan to reduce staff by between 35 to 40 — all of this due to inflation, impacts on international student enrolment, and a zero per cent increase to base funding from the provincial government.

At Olds College, there haven’t been layoffs, and while negotiations are further along, they’re not close to being on the same page, Borodey explains.

In Olds, the union has proposed a 24 per cent increase over four years, with the college coming back with 7.5 per cent. She also says they’ve proposed to roll back benefits from the current 100 per cent coverage.

Borodey says the rollback on benefits is a “disgusting tactic,” after putting forward an “abysmally low” wage increase proposal.

“They’ve also asked to remove parking language which would give them the ability to set parking rates wherever they felt. While some people think parking is a non-issue, we need to recognize that Olds College is rural, and there is no access to it via public transportation,” she says.

“It’s actually quite impactful because that’s a rollback that would be hitting their paycheck.”

In a statement to rdnewsNOW, Mara-Lee Moroz, Chief People & Culture Officer, Olds College of Agriculture & Technology, says the sides met April 29, for the first time since November.

“The college’s negotiations team remains keenly committed to working through negotiations in a constructive manner,” she says.

“We have appreciated the strong working relationships that have been established to date between the parties. We are hopeful that ongoing dialogue will identify common ground and move us towards a resolution that reflects the priorities and realities of both the college and the AUPE membership.”

The college said it otherwise does not want to get deeper into the weeds of negotiating in the public sphere.

Nonetheless, Borodey says that in both cases, a strike at either post-secondary is not imminent.

“But I would say if we don’t see movement from these employees and employers at the bargaining table, it’s possible.”

Borodey added lastly that they’re hopeful the Government of Alberta AUPE strike vote will have a positive trickle-down effect on other sectors going through bargaining.

Watch the AUPE news conference below;

by Josh Hall | @Vancan19

AUPE’s government employees vote 90% in favour of strike; post-secondary, nurses bargaining continues to be rocky

NURSES

POST-SECONDARIES

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