AUPE marks 30th Anniversary
strong and confident about the future
T
his year, the Alberta Union of
Provincial Employees proudly
marks its 30th anniversary as
an independent union.
In late summer, membership stood at an
unprecedented 63,000 with every sign that
growth will continue. The union’s success
rests on a foundation of financial strength,
occupational diversity and solidarity.
Headquarters Staff
The 2005-2006 fiscal year was marked by
successful negotiation of large numbers of
collective agreements. Spurred by the
province’s continuing economic boom,
AUPE negotiators were able to win significant pay increases and other improvements — many of which will continue to
protect and aid members long after the
province’s economic situation has cooled.
In the year ahead, AUPE will begin its
most complex and significant round of
negotiations — our contract with the
province of Alberta on behalf of more
than 20,000 direct employees of the
provincial government. This huge
Government services sector contract
expires on Aug. 31, 2007. The agreement
that replaces it will set the pace for negotiations throughout Alberta in the months
and years beyond.
Calgary Staff
Also in the fiscal year ahead, AUPE will
begin preparations for a huge round of
bargaining in the Health Care Sector,
which will take place in 2008. As many
as 30,000 AUPE members will be affected by this round of bargaining.
AUPE’s leaders and members are committed to making the challenging, exhilarating, months ahead a success. We do so
with confidence because, as these
Financial Results clearly show, our union
has the financial strength, diverse membership and committed staff to meet the
challenges ahead — not just in the next
fiscal year, but over the next 30 years!
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Message from the President
2006 a special year for AUPE
T
his is a very special year for AUPE —
our 30th anniversary as an independent,
autonomous union, in the legal sense as well
as in the determination of our members to
fight for improved working conditions, enforceable contracts and full collective bargaining rights.
We started as an association of a small number of “civil
servants” — the Civil Service Association of Alberta,
founded in 1919. In 1976 — the anniversary we celebrate
this year — we became a true union through an act of the
Legislature. Over the years since then, we have become a
leader among Alberta unions. Today we have over 65,000
people — employees of the provincial government,
health care providers of all types, boards, agencies,
municipal governments and private companies.
After the brutal provincial spending cuts of the mid1990s, there were those who predicted that AUPE was
finished as an effective force for the protection of our
members and the rights of all working people. How
wrong they were! Today we are an effective and powerful voice for Alberta working people. We negotiate good
contracts that serve our members’ interests well. And we
look to the future with confidence.
Every one of us can take great pride in the strength our
union enjoys in 2006. But we also look back on the
events of 2006 with sadness. Early this year, Ed Mardell,
our longest-serving Executive Secretary-Treasurer, died
after a long illness. It is very hard to accept that Ed is
gone. Ed was at the forefront of the fight to save AUPE
in the 1990s and he played a huge role in restoring our
union to its present financial strength.
AUPE activists and staff, will highlight the harmful and
restrictive labour laws as they are now, and offer creative
solutions that would make Alberta a better place to live
and work.
We expect in 2006, 2007 and beyond that AUPE will
continue to grow, and that our corresponding emphasis
on activism, union education and worksite involvement
will continue unabated.
AUPE will also continue to play an important role in our
Alberta communities, and to be involved in coalitions
with other labour and progressive groups such as the
Alberta Labour History Institute, the Aspen Foundation
for Labour Education, the Workers Health Centre,
Friends of Medicare and others.
As always, however, our principal purpose as a union
will remain negotiating good collective agreements for
our members, and enforcing those agreements. In early
February, the General Services Bargaining Committee
will meet in Red Deer to begin hammering out the principal negotiating positions for our next round of bargaining with the province for a Master Agreement and
Subsidiary Agreements for more than 20,000 direct
employees of the Alberta Government. This is the largest
and most complex collective agreement negotiated in
Alberta.
At the same time, we will begin preparing for the massive round of health care negotiations expected in 2008
that will affect more than 30,000 health sector workers
throughout Alberta. Preparation will also begin for significant bargaining in the Education sector and the Boards,
Agencies and Local Governments Sector.
As we look to the future — an optimistic future thanks to
Ed’s contribution — we can see that much still needs to
be done. One of the most urgent needs of all working
people in this province is to bring Alberta’s labour laws
into the 21st Century. Our province’s current laws are
unfair. They impede the ability of AUPE members to
legally secure the best possible contracts, including fair
pay and decent benefits, by legally favouring employers.
As Convention nears, I want to thank every member who
has assisted in our union’s work, and every member who
has supported AUPE activities. Thanks also to AUPE’s
staff, to the union’s managers, to our activists and volunteers, and to our chapter, local and provincial elected officials, all of whom have contributed so much to AUPE’s
continued success.
That is why, in the year ahead, AUPE will campaign hard
for better, fairer Alberta labour laws. The campaign, mandated by delegates to AUPE’s Convention last October
and now being organized on a riding-by-riding basis by
Dan MacLennan
President
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Message from the
Executive Secretary-Treasurer
Union continues on strong financial
course in 2005-2006 fiscal year
W
hen delegates to AUPE’s Annual
Convention honoured me with their support in October 2005, I knew that I would
be taking the financial reins of a union
that rested on a solid financial foundation.
Thanks to the efforts of many people over the years —
especially my predecessor as AUPE’s Executive
Secretary-Treasurer, Ed Mardell, who passed away in
January — we are entering the 2006-2007 reporting year
with union finances that are strong and stable, and based
on the largest, most occupationally diverse membership
in our union’s history.
With AUPE’s membership now in excess of 63,000, and
with the likelihood of continued growth in all four of the
union’s administrative sectors, we have financial strength
that was lacking in the past. AUPE has the monetary and
membership resources to protect us from a crisis in any
sector, and to smoothly continue our important day-today work — bargaining and enforcing contracts, conducting arbitrations, and participating in efforts to
improve the position of AUPE members and other
unionists on a variety of fronts.
My commitment to members is to continue to manage
our union’s resources with prudence, steadiness and frugality. With that goal in mind, our standing AUPE
Finance Committee has been examining union spending
decisions with care, with an eye to improving service to
members while further strengthening our financial
reserves.
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As a result, as in past years, the Finance Committee has
recommended that we allocate another $2 million to the
AUPE Defence Fund. The Provincial Executive has
adopted this recommendation, bringing the fund to more
than $16 million. The cumulative amount of AUPE’s
reserves is now more than $20 million. This year’s
budget will realize $44,000 of revenue in excess of
expenditure.
I am pleased to report that since my election in October
2005, I have been able to guide the financial affairs of
AUPE with needs of the membership and the long-term
financial stability of the union in mind. It is my hope to
be able to continue on this course in the future. When we
spend union funds, we do so in the awareness that they
come from and belong to our members. We also recognize that the services our members most value — such as
superior union education programs, effective bargaining,
disputes resolution and arbitration — are expensive.
Our goal is to provide members with the best services
possible at the most reasonable cost.
It is an honour and a privilege to present to you an audited 2005-2006 financial statement that shows AUPE continues on a stable and strong financial course.
Bill Dechant
Executive Secretary-Treasurer
Veteran Union Rep
Wayne Trimble retires
After 19 years of
service to AUPE,
and more than 30
years to the labour
movement, Union
Representative
Wayne Trimble
retired Sept. 5.
“Wayne has negotiated contracts in
every sector and has negotiated many
first contracts during his years of service to AUPE and for his many successes alone he will be missed,”
AUPE President Dan MacLennan
said. “Wayne is also a colourful character who will be missed by every
member and staff member who has
worked with him.”
Most recently, Trimble served as
AUPE’s East Central Regional Office
Union Representative in Camrose.
While with AUPE, he negotiated a
huge number of collective agreements, including the Master and
Subsidiary Agreements for all
employees of the provincial government. But there is no sector represented by AUPE in which Trimble has not
negotiated contracts and organized
workers. He also ran AUPE’s education program in the 1980s.
Before joining AUPE, Trimble
worked for five years as Business
Agent for the Service Employees
International Union in Saskatoon, and
seven years as a United Steelworkers
staff representative, and as a
Steelworkers local president at the
potash mine in Colonsay, Sask.
He also coached hockey at every level
from Junior B to Triple A, where he
once worked as a scout for the
Saskatoon Blades.
T
he current fiscal year has been a time of consolidation and negotiation after
a period of dramatic growth that saw the union’s membership soar to more
than 63,000.
For a union as large as AUPE — with 31 locals and more than 200 separate collective agreements — each year is a major bargaining year. In 2005-2006, AUPE’s
Union Representatives successfully negotiated 14 collective agreements, including
wage re-openers, for three locals. At present, AUPE is enjoying a rare, relatively
quiet period for bargaining, with negotiations at only 10 smaller tables.
AUPE headquarters continues to pay the cost of bargaining for all bargaining units
— a policy that saves many locals literally tens of thousands of dollars.
AUPE has approximately 100 employees who provide services to members at
headquarters in Edmonton, regional offices throughout the province and smaller
satellite offices.
Among the AUPE sections that serve members are:
Communications
AUPE’s Communications Section runs
the union’s Website, publishes Direct
Impact, Steward Notes and this Annual
Report, and carries out the union’s
aggressive and successful media relations program. Staff members produce
leaflets, brochures, radio ads, booklets,
speeches and other materials as
required by the Executive Committee
and senior managers.
Disputes & Arbitration
AUPE’s Disputes and Arbitration staff
act as resources to labour relations specialists in contract interpretation, court
activities, arbitration related issues and
matters involving the Alberta Labour
Relations Board. Between July 1, 2005,
and July 1, 2006, 134 cases were conveyed to arbitration by AUPE’s staff. In
the same period, 954 grievances were
filed by members in all sectors of the
union, 22 new legal files were opened
regarding action before the courts or
the Labour Relations Board. There
were also 72 new Workers
Compensation Board appeals filed in
this period and 63 new long-term disability appeals.
Education
AUPE’s Education Section organizes
union training courses and conferences
at convenient locations throughout
Alberta year round. This fiscal year,
section staff offered 77 courses in such
areas as introduction to your union,
union stewards’ training, contract interpretation, table officers’ skills, occupational health and safety and discipline
and discharge. Roughly 1,200 members
attended these courses province-wide.
In addition, more than 200 members
attended the annual Labour Education
School in Kananaskis.
Labour Relations
The staff of AUPE’s large Labour
Relations Section deal with members’
day-to-day problems from offices
throughout the province. Labour
Relations staff respond to dismissals,
discipline and unfair treatment by
employers, among many other issues.
They also handle formal grievances
and organize meetings of AUPE locals
and chapters.
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Member Services
AUPE’s Leadership
The Executive Committee
AUPE is led by an elected Executive Committee made up of the President,
Executive Secretary-Treasurer and four Vice-Presidents.
The President and Executive Secretary-Treasurer serve as full-time officers of the
union. Vice-Presidents get time off with pay as required.
The President is AUPE’s chief executive officer. Besides supervising the affairs of
the union and acting as chief spokesperson, the President assigns duties and
responsibilities to the other members of the Executive Committee.
The Executive Secretary-Treasurer is the chief financial officer of the union,
responsible for all financial and accounting records. The Executive SecretaryTreasurer must ensure that all expenditures conform to the budget passed by
AUPE’s annual convention.
All members are the Executive Committee are normally elected to two-year terms
at convention during odd-numbered years. When a position is left vacant, a byelection may be held at convention in an even-numbered year.
AUPE provides members with special
services in addition to those traditionally associated with unions. These
include special discounts negotiated
for AUPE members with many retailers and service providers — details
are available on the AUPE Website,
www.aupe.org. In addition, they
include education bursaries for members, their spouses and children. In
the 2005-2006 fiscal year, AUPE’s
Members Benefits Committee awarded 74 bursaries and scholarships
worth $39,000. In addition, AUPE
maintains a special fund that can be
accessed by members and their families who find themselves in dire
financial emergencies. In total this fiscal year, the Members Benefits
Committee approved 92 applications
to receive close to $73,000 in benefit
payments.
Research
AUPE employs professional research
staff to back up its negotiators, and to
support other union staff in areas such
as disputes and arbitration, communications and education. AUPE’s
research staff analyses government
policies and legislation, prepares
background materials on a variety of
topics and organizes a broad range of
economic data to assist in bargaining.
Dan MacLennan
President
Bill Dechant
Executive Secretary-Treasurer
Jason Heistad
Vice-President
Union Stewards
AUPE maintains its high visibility
on worksites through its network on
Union Stewards and Worksite
Contacts. These volunteer members
act as the membership’s first line of
defence against contract violations,
communicate union initiatives and
mobilize members during negotiations.
Krista Koroluk
Vice-President
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Garnett Robinson
Vice-President
Brad Smith
Vice-President
The Provincial Executive
AUPE’s Provincial Executive is made up of the Executive Committee and one
elected representative from each local.
The Provincial Executive, commonly known to AUPE members as the PE, is the
union’s governing body between annual conventions.
PE meets a minimum of six times per year to conduct the business of the union.
The members of the Provincial Executive are:
In Memoriam —
Ed Mardell
Members of AUPE were deeply
saddened in January by the loss of
Ed Mardell, the union’s longest-serving Executive Secretary-Treasurer.
Ed, who had served AUPE in various
capacities for more than 30 years,
died in Calgary after a long illness.
He was 67.
Ed was known for his unwavering
commitment to AUPE, and for his
steady leadership during the union’s
most-difficult days — the cutbacks on
the mid-1990s.
At various times during his AUPE
career, Ed was a Local 008
Bargaining Committee Chair, Lac La
Biche Area Council Chair, General
Service Bargaining Committee
Representative, Vice-President, and,
for seven terms starting in 1993,
Executive Secretary-Treasurer.
President
Executive Secretary-Treasurer
Vice-President
Vice-President
Vice-President
Vice-President
Dan MacLennan
Bill Dechant
Jason Heistad
Krista Koroluk
Garnett Robinson
Brad Smith
(Local 003, Calgary)
(Local 002, Lac La Biche)
(Local 071, Olds)
(Local 043, Lamont)
(Local 006, Lac La Biche)
(Local 020, St. Albert)
Local 001 Representative
Local 002 Representative
Local 003 Representative
Local 004 Representative
Local 005 Representative
Local 006 Representative
Local 009 Representative
Local 010 Representative
Local 012 Representative
Local 020 Representative
Local 038 Representative
Local 039 Representative
Local 043 Representative
Local 044 Representative
Local 045 Representative
Local 046 Representative
Local 047 Representative
Local 048 Representative
Local 049 Representative
Local 050 Representative
Local 052 Representative
Local 053 Representative
Local 054 Representative
Local 056 Representative
Local 057 Representative
Local 059 Representative
Local 060 Representative
Local 069 Representative
Local 071 Representative
Local 095 Representative
Local 118 Representative
Audrey Randall
Milo Steel
Bill Brown
Dan Niven
Doug Knight
Melanie Metcalf
Brenda Stewart
Bill Gibbons
Mark Ellis
Lori Nordholt
Mike Sekuloff
Dianne Worley
Marylou Savic
Jack Spink
Susan Slade
Joanne Spencer
Dan Peterson
Sheila Veldhoen
Liberty Pestano
Larry Reid
Shirley Maki
Jackie Slezina
Margaret Heil
Heather Stocking
Jules Noel
Yrsa Nielsen
Jim Wilson
Bonnie Nahornick
Mark Weleschuk
Gerry Raby
Karen Sputek
(Peace River)
(Edmonton)
(Peace River)
(Edmonton)
(Red Deer)
(Medicine Hat)
(Red Deer)
(Edmonton)
(Vulcan)
(St. Albert)
(Edmonton)
(Calgary)
(Lac La Biche)
(Ponoka)
(Claresholm)
(Fort Saskatchewan)
(Edmonton)
(Calgary)
(Edmonton)
(St. Albert)
(Calgary)
(Lethbridge)
(Edmonton
(Barrhead)
(Lacombe)
(Grande Prairie)
(Devon)
(Calgary)
(Edmonton)
(Calgary)
(Edmonton)
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How AUPE is Run
Convention
AUPE’s governing body is the union’s annual convention. Each AUPE Local
is entitled to send one delegate to convention for every 100 members.
At convention — which is normally held in October in Edmonton — the
union’s policies are established and its budget and operating procedures are
determined. In addition, every odd year, Executive Committee members are
elected. In a year when elections are not scheduled, a by-election will be held
if an Executive Committee member has left office during the previous year.
Locals & Chapters
AUPE members are organized into locals and chapters to aid in bargaining
and administration.
Locals are the administrative components of AUPE. The members of some
of AUPE’s 30 locals work at one location in a variety of jobs. Other AUPE
locals encompass a large number of workers who share a community of
interest across Alberta. Others represent larger groups of employees at different worksites across the province, sometimes with more than one collective
agreement.
Large and geographically spread-out locals are often divided into chapters to
make involvement in union activities easier. Some large locals that work at
one worksite may be divided into chapters for administrative reasons.
Each local and chapter has a democratically elected executive.
Area Councils
Edmonton City Centre Office
520 First Edmonton Place
10665 Jasper Avenue Edmonton, AB, T5J 3S9
Phone: (780) 414-7960 Fax: (780) 428-4879
Edmonton Southside Office
306 College Plaza
8215 – 112 Street, Edmonton, AB T6G 2C8
Fax: (780) 433-3203
Grande Prairie Regional Office
102 9815 – 101 Avenue
Grande Prairie, AB, T8V 0X6
Phone: (780) 513-3520 Fax: (780) 532-0580
Toll Free: 1-800-232-7284 press 9
Calgary Regional Office
600 1816 Crowchild Trail NW
Calgary, AB, T2M 3Y7
Phone: (403) 531-8600 Fax: (403) 283-7328
Toll Free: 1-800-232-7284 press 7
Northwest Regional Office
2nd Floor, 10036 – 100 Street
Box 6895 Peace River, AB, T8S 1S6
Phone: (780) 624-2424 Fax: (780) 624-4859
Toll Free: 1-800-232-7284 press 2
AUPE’s Area Councils are set up geographically to serve the social needs of
the union’s members. They are financed by headquarters and organize curling
competitions, Christmas parties, picnics and a host of other social events.
Athabasca Regional Office
Box 553 Athabasca, AB, T9S 2A5
Phone: (780) 675-2033 Fax: (780) 675-3727
Toll Free: 1-800-232-7284 press 5
AUPE Offices
East Central Regional Office
4704F – 49 Avenue Camrose, AB, T4V 3K9
Phone: (780) 672-8877 Fax: (780) 672-2296
Toll Free: 1-800-232-7284 press 4
In addition to its headquarters in Edmonton, AUPE operates offices in Peace
River, Grande Prairie, Athabasca, Camrose, Red Deer, Calgary and
Lethbridge, plus two satellite offices in Edmonton.
The goal is to effectively serve AUPE members in every corner of Alberta.
Each regional office has permanent staff to look after members’ interests, and
provides space for meetings, union education and social events.
AUPE’s regional and satellite offices can all be called toll-free from anywhere in Alberta at 1-800-232-7284. Local numbers for all offices are listed
on this page.
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Headquarters, Edmonton
10451 - 170 Street Edmonton, AB, T5P 4S7
Phone: (780) 930-3300
Toll-free:1-800-232-7284
Fax: (780) 930-3392
Toll-free fax:1-888-388-2873
Central Regional Office
101 4719 – 48 Avenue
Red Deer, AB, T4N 3W9
Phone: (403) 343-2100 Fax: (403) 340-1210
Toll Free: 1-800-232-7284 press 6
Southern Regional Office
203 1921 Mayor Magrath Drive S.
Lethbridge, AB, T1K 2R8
Phone: (403) 329-1210 Fax: (403) 327-5827
Toll Free: 1-800-232-7284 press 8
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www.aupe.org
UPCOMING EVENTS
Annual Convention
October 26 to 28, 2006 - Edmonton
Labour Education School
February 25 to March 1, 2007 - Jasper
Labour Law Campaign Volunteer Training
October 10, 2006 - Lethbridge
October 11, 2006 - Calgary
October 12, 2006 - Red Deer
October 18 & 19, 2006 - Edmonton
Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses To: Alberta Union of Provincial Employees, 10451 170 St. NW, Edmonton AB T 5 P 4S7.
Publications Mail Agreement 40065207
Now is the
TIME to fix Alberta’s labour laws
The Alberta Union of Provincial
Employees will soon launch an important
campaign to change Alberta’s out-of-date
labour laws.
What are we looking for?
AUPE believes five significant changes
need to be made to Alberta’s labour laws:
Alberta labour legislation badly needs
reform to bring it into the 21st Century.
As written, our province’s labour laws are
the most regressive and unfair in Canada.
1) First-contract arbitration. The adoption
of first-contract binding arbitration to
help newly organized workplaces get a
union contract without labour disruption.
At AUPE’s 2005 Annual Convention in
October, delegates passed a resolution
requiring the creation of a change-the-law
campaign to be run by constituency.
2) Full bargaining rights. Full and fair
collective bargaining rights for public
employees, including the legal right to
strike.
The goal of the campaign is to finally
bring fair, modern legislation to Alberta
that will guarantee the right of all workers
to fair collective bargaining and foster an
atmosphere of labour peace in fairness.
3) One labour law for everyone. The elimination of the Public Service Employee
Relations Act (PSERA) and the creation
of a new Alberta Labour Code for all
unionized working people in the
province.
But this campaign can’t get results without
your participation.
LABOUR LAW
CAMPAIGN
Train the Volunteers
Course:
October 10, 2006 - Lethbridge
October 11, 2006 - Calgary
October 12, 2006 - Red Deer
October 18 & 19, 2006 - Edmonton
*More information at www.aupe.org
To register call: Sher Bourassa
at 1-800-232-7284 (930-3364 in
Edmonton)
4) Automatic cert i f i c a t i o n . Certification
without the requirement of a vote when
more than half the employees in a workplace sign a union card.
5) Anti-scab laws. Legislation that would
make the use of replacement workers
during strikes illegal.
Why we want this
These measures will help guarantee the minimum rights of working people as set out in
the Charter of the United Nations.
Full collective bargaining rights for public
employees, including the right to strike, and
the creation of a uniform Labour Relations
Code governing all unionized workers would
bring Alberta labour law into accord with the
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
by treating all working people the same way
before the law.
First contract arbitration would force
employers to obey existing law and recognize the right of working people to be represented by a union when they choose to
be. It would reduce the likelihood of violent
labour disputes.
Automatic certification would eliminate the
temptation for anti-union employers to break
the law when their employees have made it
clear they want union representation. Antiscab laws would further reduce the probability of violence during labour disputes.
What we need from you
AUPE’s campaign, as mandated by delegates to Convention, cannot succeed without
the active participation of our most committed members — you!
Your help is needed. AUPE will require
volunteers to man phone lines, distribute
leaflets in your home communities, have
meetings with your MLA and carry out
other duties. Training will be provided. If
you are interested in helping, please contact
AUPE at [email protected].
Help us get better collective agreements by assisting this
i m p o rtant campaign to change Alberta’s labour laws.
Alberta Union of Provincial Employees
Please contact: 780-930-3407 [email protected]
FEATURES
4
4
30 Years of Success. How AUPE became Alberta’s largest union.
10
From CSA to Today. AUPE gears up for Convention.
11
An Organization With Teeth. An interview with AUPE’s first
president.
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Government Sector Bargaining. Negotiations are about to get
under way.
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Foundation for Success. Planning for the next round of Health Care
Sector bargaining in 2008.
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Defending Public Education. Education Sector members get
energized in Canmore.
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A Model for Others. ATB Financial employees an effective part of
AUPE.
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Labour Relations Update. Summary of recent agreements.
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Concern for Missing Member. AUPE and the government offer
a $20,000 reward for information about disappearance.
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30th Anniversary BBQs. Members celebrate province-wide.
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
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Summary of Financial Highlights
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Message from the President
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Message from the Executive Secretary-Treasurer
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Activities in 2005-2006
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Audited Financial Statements
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Impact is a publication of the A l b e rta Union of Provincial Employees
Telephone: 780-930-3300 Toll-free from anywhere in Alberta: 1-800-232-7284 Fax: 780-930-3392
Toll-free Fax: 1-888-388-2873 E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: www.aupe.org Convention Web site: www. aupeconvention.org
President: Dan MacLennan Executive Secretary-Treasurer: Bill Dechant
Editor: David Climenhaga Production: Dianna Bowes, Scott Pattison
Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses To: Alberta Union of Provincial Employees, 10451 170 St. NW, Edmonton AB T5P 4S7
Publications Mail Agreement 40065207
3
For the past 30 years, the AUPE has
focused on Albert a ’s most valuable
re s o u rce, its people. The dedication to
i n f o rming and listening to its members
reflects its commitment to more than
62,000 members from provincial and
municipal governments, educational facilities, boards and agencies, regional
health authorities and private companies.
Alberta’s diverse and dynamic business
landscape will continue to grow
and develop for years to come. Serv i c e s
provided by the AUPE enable its
members to become more productive
and innovative, while strengthening our
business community and our province.
Ralph Klein
Premier of Albert a
AUPE’S 30TH ANNIVERSARY
Our union beat the odds to grow
to 63,000 members in 2006
By Winston Gereluk
A
nyone who looks at AUPE in 2006, 30 years after it became
a full-fledged trade union, can’t help but be impressed.
AUPE is the largest union in Alberta, the most energetic and
visible, the one most in the news. While other unions are losing members, AUPE has been growing — to more than 63,000 members
today— and it hasn’t stopped.
AUPE’s story is one of making history by beating the odds, surviving
challenges and bad times, and building on good times to make important
gains for members.
The CSA
AUPE began life on March 26, 1919, when a small group of Alberta government employees held a stormy founding meeting in north Edmonton’s
First Presbyterian Church. They agreed to incorporate the Civil Service
Association of Alberta (CSA), and elected Judson Lambe as their first
president. They adopted a crest that declared: “Unity Strength
Protection.”
These workers were putting their necks on the line. Many MLAs saw
their act as one of insubordination, worthy of firing. (Indeed, prior to
1938, a clause in Civil Service Act stipulated that any government worker
asking for a pay raise or causing anyone else to ask on their behalf was in
effect submitting their resignation!) But they acted in response to a World
War I pay cut, unfair “patriotic” taxation of government employees, and
the fact that all plum jobs were filled by political favourites.
1947 CSA
Executive
CSA Crest
The CSA held its first annual convention in February
1921 at a total cost of $202.65. Eighteen delegates and
11 Provincial Executive members attended. They
chose a Public Works employee, W.T. Aiken, as their
new president. And, despite the attitudes of some
politicians, civil servants were in those days highly
respected and valued in society.
From the start, the CSA’s leaders made progress. In
W.T. Aiken
response to their concerns about patronage, the government appointed a Civil Service Commissioner in 1923. They bargained
pay and working conditions, through an advisory joint council established
by the United Farmers government that same year.
Over the years, they accomplished much: Pensions in 1923. Group
life insurance in 1934. Dues check-off in 1947. Mileage rates in 1948.
A 40-hour week in 1955. Four weeks’ vacation after 24 years in 1956.
A classification appeal procedure in 1957. The first CSA agreement
with a board in 1958 — for Branch 23 at the University of A l b e r t a
Hospital. Medical premiums half covered by the employer in 1967.
4
Continued on page 5
THE HISTORY OF AUPE
New legislation that recognized the CSA as sole bargaining agent for
employees of the Crown, as well as certain boards and agencies, in
1968. The list goes on.
Creation of AUPE
While the CSA had grown enormously in size and vitality by the late
1970s, surpassing 30,000 members, its leaders recognized the need for
legal recognition as a full-fledged union.
In the spring of 1974, 300 members in the Department of Health &
Social Development demonstrated against arbitrary change in statutory
holiday entitlements. The government backed down. That same season,
employees of the Alberta Liquor Control Board struck for 10 days,
winning substantial wage increases.
This unrest was capped on Oct. 1, 1974, when 12,500 General Service
members walked off the job for two days because
the government had arbitrarily imposed a pay
increase six days before bargaining was due to
commence. They won their point again, and the
government agreed to negotiate in good faith.
1974 ALCB
strike
On behalf of the 265,000 members of
On June 14, 1976, the Legislature repealed the
Civil Service Association of Alberta Act, and the
Alberta Union of Provincial Employees was legally born. On the day of its formation, AUPE boast- Bill Broad
ed a budget of $3.4 million. T.W. (Bill) Broad, the
last president of the CSA, was chosen as the first president of the new
union at its founding convention held Nov. 18-20 at the Chateau
Lacombe in Edmonton.
the Canadian Auto Workers union
Convention decisions, however, still had to be approved by government, as the union operated under the Societies Act. This changed on
Nov. 17, 1977, when AUPE met to change its status into an unincorporated trade union. All assets of the CSA were transferred into the
new union.
healthy and caring communities acro s s
The Public Service Employee Relations Act (PSERA) received Royal
Assent on May 18, 1977, giving AUPE bargaining rights for each
group of employees for which it had a collective agreement. These
arrangements were ratified at the union’s Second Convention at the
Palliser Hotel in Calgary.
However, PSERA had been passed over the objections of AUPE and
other unions, who remembered Premier Peter Lougheed’s 1971 preelection promises of full bargaining rights for public employees.
Instead, Lougheed’s government passed the most restrictive labour
legislation in Canada, which included compulsory arbitration designed
to favour employers.
Continued on page 6
I want to congratulate the Alberta Union
of Provincial Employees on 30 years of
pro g ressive action and thought on
behalf of working people.
AUPE’s commitment to its membership
and to the goals of building strong,
A l b e rta is vitally important. The voice of
AUPE President Dan MacLennan remains
outspoken, independent and forw a rd
looking at a time when it is needed most.
Keep up the good work AUPE. Take time
to reflect on your 30 years of progress,
but also use this celebration as a time to
renew and recommit to continuing the
good fight for many years to come.
Buzz Harg rove
President, Canadian Auto
Workers Union
5
1980 ‘Apples & Oranges’ campaign
AUPE’S 30TH ANNIVERSARY
...A reputation as a tough union
AUPE’s First Decade
‘Apples & Oranges’ —
AUPE’s Strike of 1980
The Alberta government set the stage for
a strike by AUPE members in 1979 when
it announced salary guidelines for a new
two-year agreement to be negotiated in
the spring of 1980.
Despite double-digit inflation, AUPE
members would get no more than seven
per cent in the first year and nine per cent
in the second, the government decreed.
MLAs, meanwhile, had just voted themselves a 47-per-cent raise! Asked to
explain, the Provincial Treasurer
responded: “You are talking about apples
and oranges.”
Infuriated, hundreds of Alberta Liquor
Control Board employees illegally
walked off the job on July 2. They were
followed five days later by more than
1,000 Correctional Officers, plus social
workers, trades people, health care workers and others from their institutions. On
July 16, hundreds of administrative support workers from government offices
across Alberta joined the wildcat action.
By July 18, the number had swelled to
more than 4,000. Even more government
employees joined picket lines after a
Court of Queen’s Bench judge found six
Correctional Officers guilty of contempt
of court on July 22.
Despite dire threats from government
officials, picket lines held firm until the
union told members to return to work.
6
In some ways, AUPE could not have chosen a worse time to enter this
world, as 1976 was the year Prime Minister Trudeau announced wage
and price controls with the Anti-Inflation Board to make it illegal for
employers to negotiate pay increases above a certain guideline. As usual,
government employees were targeted, and controls on them extended far
beyond the three-year AIB mandate despite soaring energy revenues in
Alberta.
This didn’t stop AUPE from consolidating its
strength under the leadership of John Booth, who
took over the presidency in 1977. Under Booth,
AUPE built a reputation as a tough union, willing to
take on employers that weren’t willing to play by the
rules — even if that included the government of
Alberta.
John Booth
At the 1979 Convention, Booth asked delegates to
make 1980 a “test year” for negotiations. AUPE then
took on the government with its “Apples & Oranges Campaign,” a reference to claim by government members that comparing 47-per-cent pay
raises for MLAs with single-digit pay raises for public employees was like
comparing apples and oranges.
Unsuccessful negotiations were followed by strike action, and more than
4,000 AUPE members hit the bricks in the summer of 1980, fully aware
their action was illegal. AUPE won that strike, effectively challenging
rigged arbitration rules and the ban on strikes. By AUPE’s Fifth Annual
Convention in October 1980, membership stood at over 41,000 — half of
them women.
In 1982, AUPE moved into it new Headquarters on 170th Street in
Edmonton and established regional offices throughout the province. When
the government tried to impose an eight-per-cent annual increase on arbitrators, AUPE launched a campaign called “The Apple Rides Again” —
forcefully reminding the province of what happened in 1980. With the
threat of conflict in the air, AUPE won major gains at arbitration, far in
excess of the premier’s “Eight Per Cent Solution.”
When hard times hit Alberta in 1983, the government began to cut jobs.
AUPE’s membership had touched 52,500, but by 1984 had dipped to
47,500. The union responded with aggressive organizing in municipal
government and the health care.
Pat Wocknitz was elected president at the beginning of this difficult period. One of her first acts was to call a special constitutional convention in
1985 to reduce the Provincial Executive to 28 members. The government
began to step up privatization and AUPE’s membership shrank that year
to 46,000.
Continued on page 7
Carol Anne Dean in 1994
The Dark Decade — 1987 to 1996
The years 1987 to 1996 were a dark decade for AUPE — with
layoffs and privatization in full swing, driven by ideological rightwing politicians.
In 1987, Wocknitz met with Lougheed’s replacement, Premier
Don Getty, to negotiate an early retirement incentive program that
would combine voluntary job sharing, voluntary extended leave,
re-employment counseling. That year, AUPE filed more than
1,000 grievances. Sadly, this set the tone for the decade.
AUPE organized like never before to make up for membership
losses in the government, but bargaining became harder than
ever and gains were marginal. As cutbacks continued through
1988, membership dipped further and revenues sagged.
By 1989, privatization and deregulation were in full swing and
the government was floating trial balloons about privatization of
some of its most important human services. Membership continued to decline, mainly through cuts to the government service,
and AUPE faced substantial debt, reduced revenues and crippling building costs.
When bargaining stalled in 1990 and government pressed ahead
with its divestment of people services, Local 006 led a 22-day
strike over workload and staffing. Right after that, Correctional
Officers in Local 003 held a seven-day strike over pensions and
early retirement, which they won. Local 054 also held a one-day
strike at the University of Alberta Hospital.
For Albertans, AUPE became the main defender of public services — a role it has continued to play ever since. In 1992, however, the union found itself in the midst of a Progressive
Conservative leadership campaign alive with promises of further
privatization and downsizing. Negotiations that year yielded an
average increase of two per cent.
Right-wing governments and think tanks had convinced the
Getty, Booth & Wocknitz
public its No. 1 problem was public debt, and Albertans were
ready to accept huge cuts to services. The result was the premiership of Ralph Klein, with Vermilion veterinarian and MLA Steve
West as his hit man. Funding for government services was cut
20 per cent across the board. Alberta’s economy and society
went into shock.
AUPE lost more than 3,000 members in one year, many in the
U.S.-style privatization of liquor stores. In addition, many members were reorganized into boards and agencies, requiring a
restructuring of the union. And more than 8,500 hospital workers
faced regionalization in which the province fobbed off responsibility for the provision of health care, but hung onto the purse
strings.
In the spring of 1993, Foothills Hospital workers accepted a
“small temporary rollback” to keep laundry, dietary and housekeeping jobs in-house in return for 15 months of job security.
AUPE fought at every turn to protect its members. In spite of
this, nearly 4,700 jobs were lost between August 1990 and
August 1993.
When Carol Anne Dean was elected president
in 1992, AUPE’s reserve fund had been used
up. Secretary-Treasurer Ed Mardell, who was
elected at the same convention and would
serve until 2005, imposed an austerity program. Nevertheless, by mid-January, AUPE
was more than $1 million in the hole.
Facing a deteriorating financial situation,
Ed Mardell
AUPE’s Executive called a special convention in July 1994 to seek a temporary dues
increase to 1.5 per cent. The resolution was defeated by a
single vote and the 1994 convention had to be postponed.
Privatization by the government continued in many departments, although AUPE succeeded in fighting off a plan to
privatize provincial jails.
Continued on page 8
7
AUPE’S 30TH ANNIVERSARY HISTORY
I am pleased to convey my greetings
and sincere congratulations
to the members of the Alberta Union
of Provincial Employees on the occasion
of its 30th anniversary. This milestone
offers you an excellent opport u n i t y
to take stock of past achievements
while setting goals for the future .
Over the years, your organization has
worked diligently on behalf of its
members, representing the best interests
of the province of Albert a ’s workers. …
You may take great pride in
your long history of service.
Stephen Harper
Prime Minister of Canada
...The need for legal recognition
The government took advantage of AUPE’s weakened condition, opening bargaining in 1994 by announcing across-the-board cutbacks of five
per cent in the Government Service, plus boards and agencies that
depended on government for funding. After an extended campaign,
AUPE ratified agreements containing cutbacks in the order of 2.3 per
cent, with the remainder taken in days off and holidays.
Membership continued to fall dramatically — to about 35,000 in 1995.
Government Service Sector membership fell from more than 32,000 in
1992 to just 18,000 in March 1998. AUPE came very close to bankruptcy.
In 1996, AUPE’s fight back began to bear fruit. In late 1995, laundry
workers at Foothills Hospital in Calgary went on a week-long wildcat
strike to protest the Health Authority’s decision to contract-out laundry
services to Edmonton-based K-Bro Linen Systems Inc. With massive
support from other locals, unions and Calgary public, this group of
underpaid, undervalued workers forced Premier Klein to blink for the
very first time since 1993.
Soon after, Edmonton’s Health Authority backed off on plans to contract-out many of its services. As well, while some cuts continued, the
government began to back down on other privatization plans. AUPE
had turned the tide on one of the most brutal assaults its members had
seen since it was born in 1919.
R e c o v e ry — 1997 to 2006
2000 ANC strike
The years 1997 to 2006 saw the rebuilding of AUPE. While membership continued to decline for the first couple of years of the decade, the
basic conditions were finally reversed. A booming economy with an
emerging labour shortage provided a much better climate for organizing
and bargaining. AUPE flexed its collective muscles in illegal but effective job actions, and began to pick up unprecedented numbers of new
members through mergers and organizing.
The decade began with the election of Dan McLennan as AUPE president. Under MacLennan’s leadership, AUPE began to turn the corner
on bargaining and reaped the benefits of a reputation for standing up
for its members. MacLennan has emphasized media savvy, and AUPE
has grown more effective as a force for social and legislative change in
Alberta.
Laundry workers
celebrate victory in
1995 strike
8
In 1997, AUPE made up for previous roll-backs, concluding 79 agreements covering 30,000 members, In March 1998, members at the U of
A and Glenrose hospitals in Edmonton walked off the job for six hours
— enough to dramatically win a settlement. In early 2000, 11,000
health care employees throughout Alberta hit the bricks for two days
and won a significant settlement.
Continued on page 9
Dan MacLennan speaks
during May 2000
Auxiliary Nursing Care
job action
Other successes followed, and even though AUPE faced fines
and dues suspensions for its actions in defence of its members,
its financial situation began to improve.
In 1999, AUPE had merged with the Canadian Health Care
Guild, bringing another 7,000 members into the fold.
A “window of opportunity” opened wider in 2000 when the
province predicted a sixth consecutive multi-billion dollar
budget surplus. And in 2001, AUPE established the high water
mark for bargaining for all unions in Alberta. This included
contracts for about 14,000 health care employees. Membership
that year grew past 45,000 and the union began to rebuild its
defence fund. By the 26th Annual Convention in 2002, membership was approaching 50,000 and AUPE was bargaining for
over 19,000 health care employees, making AUPE the undisputed leader among health care unions in Alberta.
In March 2003, AUPE faced what seemed to be another setback when the Alberta government introduced Bill 27, the
Labour Relations (Regional Health Authorities Restructuring)
Amendment Act, which forced amalgamation of health region
bargaining units. However, AUPE officers and staff were
mobilized to handle “run-off votes” in a number of regions,
and, when the dust had settled, AUPE won them all, adding
approximately 7,000 new members. By the 28th Annual
Convention in 2004, total membership was over 58,000. AUPE
was in good shape as it prepared to bargain that year at more
than 30 tables for over 40,000 members.
By the end of 2005, AUPE’s membership surpassed 62,000.
Last year alone, more than 1,200 of these new members
enrolled in AUPE’s Introduction to Your Union course.
Everywhere AUPE went, and for everything Dan MacLennan
and the union’s members did, media coverage was heavy.
AUPE — Still Making History
Thirty years after the formation of AUPE, 87 years after the
foundation of the CSA, AUPE continues to make history.
Before the transition in 1976, the CSA met the master on
subservient terms. After we won union status and the right to
engage in collective bargaining, we started to face our
employers as equals. In other words, we made the transition
from “begging rights” to “bargaining rights.”
But we still have a long way to go, because, in 2006, many
AUPE members are still denied full bargaining rights. That is
why, this year and next, AUPE will launch its campaign to
change Alberta’s labour laws, calling for full collective bargaining rights for all public employees, first-contract arbitration, and anti-scab legislation, among others.
Just as yesterday we created the AUPE of today, today we are
shaping the AUPE of tomorrow.
Winston Gereluk is Athabasca University’s Co-ordinator
for Industrial Relations. He is a former AUPE Union
Representative.
9
CSA had roots as
social organization
W
ith the theme of “From
CSA to Today,” a hint
of nostalgia will be in
the air on Thursday,
Oct. 26, when AUPE’s 30th Convention
convenes at the Delta Edmonton South
Hotel and Convention Centre in
Edmonton.
From its roots as a social organization
under the banner of the Civil Service
Association of Alberta to its role as one
of Canada’s largest and most effective
labour organizations, AUPE members
past and present have a lot to be proud
of, said President Dan MacLennan.
“From the CSA to today, AUPE has
proudly represented Albertans in the
workplace and served as a beacon for
Alberta working people,” MacLennan
said. “We will be celebrating that accomplishment, and our rich history, during
this convention.”
‘From CSA to Today,’
Convention marks 30th Anniversary
1937 CSA Convention
The union’s 662 delegates are expected
to focus their attention on resolutions,
officers’ reports and other important
union business. Life Members, union
stewards and other activists will be honoured for their contributions to AUPE.
In total, close to 775 people — including
delegates, observers and special guests
— will attend the convention, which will
run until Saturday, Oct. 28.
Social events are also an important part
of convention. On the Thursday evening,
delegates will be entertained by, “That
AUPE 70s Show and Silent Auction.”
Organized by the union’s Women’s
Committee, delegates will bring their
respective talents to the stage, while
dressed in 1970s attire.
Proceeds from a Silent Auction that will
be held during the show will be donated
to the Alberta Council of Women’s
Shelters.
10
2005 AUPE Convention
AN INTERVIEW WITH BILL BROAD
Leaders wanted an organization
with teeth in the union movement
By Scott Pattison
Communications Staff
A
s first president of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees,
and the last president of the Civil Service Association of
Alberta, T.W. “Bill” Broad played a pivotal role in our union’s
history. In a recent interview in his modest West Edmonton
home, Broad, now 85, looked back to the early 1970s and the push to transform the CSA into AUPE.
“The CSA wasn’t a bad organization,” he recalled, “ but it had managers
and workers in it, which was the primary problem with it.” As such, he said,
the CSA was not up to the task of effectively representing rank-and-file
employees of the provincial government, its boards and agencies.
“It was a voluntary organization. You just signed up and paid your dues.
They had meetings every month or so, but nothing very exciting,” he
remembered. “...Management and everybody else were in the CSA at that
time. It was just a civil service organization, and had deputy ministers and
others in it. They represented the workers in some ways, but in a very mild
way.”
Bill Broad now...
Transforming the association into a union with bargaining power was the
brainchild of the CSA’s elected executive. “The people on that executive,
including myself, were the force behind the concept,” recalled Broad, who
was born in Stoke-on-Trent, England, and migrated to Canada following the
Second World War. “We didn’t want to be known simply as a social club.
We wanted to be an organization that could represent its members at the bargaining table — an organization with some teeth in the labour movement.”
Broad first joined the CSA in the early 1960s after starting work at the
Northern Alberta Institute of Technology as an instructor. But his roots in the
labour movement were deep. He walked his first picket line at a Rolls
Royce plant in England at 16.
Early negotiations between AUPE and the Alberta Conservative government
could be difficult, said Broad. Nevertheless, it was significant that by the
1970s they were negotiating. “When the province was governed by (Social
Credit) Premier Ernest Manning, there were no negotiations, plain and simple. When the Conservatives took over, one could say they were tougher
people to deal with, but at least they realized they couldn’t keep us without
representation.”
Although out of the limelight, Broad stays well informed about the labour
organization he helped to launch some 30 years ago. “AUPE and its president (Dan MacLennan) should be commended for the work they continue to
do for Albertans across our province. ...As but one member of the CSA’s
executive, I helped make a difference in Alberta’s labour movement. I’m
very proud of that.”
A longer version of this interview can be found on AUPE’s Website — www.aupe.org.
...and then
11
11
GOVERNMENT SECTOR
Major bargaining round with
provincial government set to begin
A
UPE is about to take the first step in its largest and most
complicated round of negotiations. Members of the General
Service Bargaining Committee are tentatively scheduled to
meet in Red Deer in February to begin the huge job of hammering out their positions for the next round of bargaining a Master
Agreement and nine Subsidiary Agreements for more than 20,000 direct
employees of the provincial government.
The current agreement between the provincial government and the nine
AUPE Government Service Sector locals representing direct employees
of the provincial government, which are numbered Locals 001 to 012 for
historical reasons, is set to expire on Aug. 31, 2007.
“AUPE faces no more complicated task than negotiating this contract for
such a large workforce with a single employer,” said AUPE President
Dan MacLennan.
Alberta Government
RITE operator, circa
1970
“This round of bargaining presents particular challenges both for us at
AUPE and for the government,” MacLennan noted. “Alberta’s booming
economy, while presenting a positive overall economic picture, has specific negative impacts on AUPE members that must be addressed,” he
explained.
A l b e rta Public Service employees have a
proud tradition of excellent work. The
provincial government public service is
recognized as one of the best in the world
and its members have a long history of
providing high-quality programs and
s e rvices in our fast growing and rapidly
changing province.
The commitment and contributions of
A l b e rta Public Service employees play a
large part in making our province the best
place to live, work, and visit. I know our
Public Service members will continue
playing an important role in Albert a ’s
success during its second century.
Congratulations on 30 years
of great service.
“Inflation is beginning to heat up seriously, and general pay increases for
all direct employees of the government must keep up,” he said. “In addition, extremely high costs in some parts of the province must be
addressed, as must the soaring price of automotive and heating fuel.”
Mike Cardinal, MLA
Minister of Human Resources
and Employment
Minister Responsible for the
Alberta Personnel
Administration Office
12
From the employer’s point of view, MacLennan said, the related problems of recruitment and retention must be addressed in the face of the
willingness of the private sector to pay big salaries and generous benefits
to achieve the same goals.
“This issue can be addressed partly through pay increases,” MacLennan
said. “However, a number of other contractual issues related to working
conditions and benefits need to be dealt with to make government
employees feel that this is where they should be and what they should be
doing.”
The bargaining conference is a key part of the process of hammering out
AUPE’s positions for the extremely important round of negotiations, said
AUPE Vice-President Garnett Robinson, a member of AUPE Local 006,
which represents government social services workers.
The conference will be attended by representatives of all Government
Service Sector locals, as well as members of the AUPE Executive
Committee and staff, Robinson said.
Formal bargaining between AUPE and Government of Alberta representatives is expected to commence during the summer months.
GOVERNMENT SECTOR
There are approximately 20,000 members in
AUPE’s Provincial Government Sector, which
represents all direct employees of the Alberta
government.
AUPE’s history is rooted in this sector, which
began its life in 1919 as the Civil Service
Association of Alberta and 30 years ago
became a legally constituted independent union.
In its current organization, the sector has nine
locals, numbered 001 to 012 for historical reasons. Provincial Government Sector locals bargain together through a body called the General
Services Bargaining Committee, or GSBC. T h e
GSBC bargains a Master Agreement that covers
all direct provincial government employees,
plus Subsidiary Agreements that affect employees in the locals, which are divided by job
category.
Fish & Wildlife Officer
at work, circa 1960
The GSBC will soon begin planning bargaining
strategies for the next round of negotiations
with the Alberta government. The current
Master Agreement will expire on Aug. 31, 2007.
Early Alberta Government
print shop
Adminstrative
support workers
13
The quality of life Albertans enjoy today
would be impossible without the contributions of the thousands of men and
women, dedicated public servants all,
who form AUPE. These Albertans touch
our lives every day, keeping us healthy
and our communities running smoothly.
Without question, Albert a ’s incredible
quality of life would be impossible without
the daily contributions of AUPE members.
That’s why I’m proud to support the
dedicated workers of the AUPE —
A l b e rtans who understand the value of
working together for the common good.
Kevin Taft, MLA
Leader of the Official Opposition
HEALTH CARE SECTOR
Foundation laid now for success
in health negotiations in 2008
A
UPE’s next major round of Health Care Sector negotiations is not expected to get seriously under way until the
summer of 2008, but important building blocks for its
success have been put in place throughout 2006.
“This has been an important year for negotiations in the Health Care
Sector, not because we have conducted our largest and most complex
rounds of bargaining, but because we have brought more and more
collective agreements onto the same bargaining cycle,” said AUPE
Vice-President Krista Koroluk.
Getting smaller Health Care Sector contracts to end in 2008, at roughly the same time as the union’s large Auxiliary Nursing Care (ANC)
and General Support Service (GSS) contracts with Alberta health
regions was a major objective in negotiations through 2005 and 2006,
said Koroluk, an ANC worker based in Lamont and a member of
AUPE Local 043.
AUPE’s agreements with employers like Capital Care Group, CareWest,
Bethany Care and Good Samaritan Society and numerous smaller
employers are being brought onto the same cycle, she explained.
“This will give us more bargaining clout when we sit down to negotiate in 2008,” she predicted. “This in turn, combined with the pressures on employers from the province’s booming economy, should
enable us to significantly improve our agreements in many ways.”
In 2008, Health Care sector workers will be looking for many of the
same things as their AUPE counterparts in the Government Services
Sector: among other things, pay increases that keep up with inflation,
compensation for soaring fuel and heating costs and recognition of
extremely high costs in some Alberta communities.
In addition, the union’s members want workers in similar jobs,
regardless of their employer, to receive similar compensation.
Employers in this sector also face some of the same challenges:
principally the need to be able to recruit and keep quality employees
in the face of strong competition from other sectors of a booming
economy.
14
HEALTH CARE SECTOR
There are more than 32,000 members
in AUPE’s growing Health Care Sector
AUPE’s Health Care Sector members work on
the front lines of Alberta’s health care system.
They work in facilities run by all nine of Alberta's
health regions, and in public-sector, private-sector
and not-for-profit facilities. AUPE represents all
Auxiliary Nursing Care employees of all health
regions, as well as General Support Service
employees of six of the regions.
AUPE members provide acute care, long-term
care, community health and mental health services, as well as such support services as administrative, housekeeping, building trades, maintenance
and dietary.
Bargaining virtually never stops in the sector
because if the size, scope and large number of
bargaining units.
Photos from
AUPE Archives
15
15
Participants in 2006 Education Sector Conference in Canmore
EDUCATION SECTOR
Canmore Education Conference participants explore
new thoughts and old on how to defend public education
etting energized to keep working for public education in Alberta is hard work. That was the paradoxical conclusion for participants in AUPE’s fifth
annual Education Sector Conference in Canmore,
who walked out the door at the end if the three-day event on
June 10 both invigorated and exhausted.
G
so familiar views from a dozen speakers, and one professional
comedienne.
“Yes, we put in a lot of time and energy to absorbing what the
speakers had to say and to thinking about their ideas,” said
AUPE Vice-President Jason Heistad, an employee of Olds
College who was attending his third Ed Sector Conference.
But if there was very little disagreement from the floor, conference participants walked away from Bruseker’s presentation
with new arguments to defend public education, and armed
with strong evidence of high dropout rates, lack of support for
early childhood education, high costs and low participation
rates in post-secondary education.
“But I know that I for one come back after these conferences
full of new ideas from the presenters and enthusiastic about
putting those ideas into action to defend public education,”
said the former Chair of Local 071/002 at the southern Alberta
agricultural college, where he still works.
AUPE Union Representative Steve Nimchuk, who organized
the conference, praised the insights and participation of conference delegates. “Sometimes the hardest work for our presenters came at the end of their talks, as they responded to some
pretty penetrating questions from conference participants,” he
said.
“The mountain scenery was very beautiful,” Nimchuk mused,
“but I don’t know if anyone actually got a look at it except
when we were all driving away!”
More than 80 delegates from throughout AUPE’s Education
Sector — which represents support employees at 14 Alberta
post-secondary institutions and three school boards — were at
the conference to hear some familiar messages and some not
For example, there was no surprise when Alberta Teachers
Association President Frank Bruseker told participants on June
9 that inadequate provincial funding is at the heart of education’s problems in Alberta.
If speakers like Bruseker provided new evidence for wellestablished arguments, others, like opening speaker Prof. Roy
Adams of McMaster University in Hamilton offered new ways
for union members to look at the world.
Collective bargaining is a fundamental human right, said the
author of Labour Left Out, Canada’s Failure to Protect and
Promote Collective Bargaining as a Human Right, after AUPE
President Dan MacLennan opened the conference on June 8.
“The right to collective bargaining should be accorded the
same reverence, the same respect, as freedom of religion,
freedom from forced labour,” Adams argued.
Taking a human rights approach will work better than calling
for technical legislative changes that are seen by the public as
mere special interest pleading if the Canadian labour movement wants to reverse the decline in total union membership,
Adams said.
Continued on page 17
16
EDUCATION SECTOR
‘...There’s more peril than
promise,’ says U of L professor
Other speakers included Dr. Paul Byrne, President of Edmonton’s Grant
MacEwan College, whose at-times hilarious presentation nevertheless
contained a serious message — that education administrators need to listen to and value the views of their support workers, who have an important contribution to make to successful delivery of education programs.
If they laughed easily, conference participants had been loosened up the
night before by a very non-corporate hour-long monologue by Zandra
Bell, the Queen of Corporate Comedy, who had them rolling in the aisles.
Other speakers included Bill Moore-Kilgannon, Executive Director of
Public Interest Alberta, who advised participants not to let funding for
education drop off the radar screen during the Conservative party’s leadership race.
There are approximately 7,000 members in
AUPE’s Education Sector.
Education Sector members are employed in support roles at 14 post-secondary institutions as well
as three school districts in Alberta.
While members of this sector are mostly
employed in non-academic jobs, they are vitally
concerned with the future of Alberta’s public education system and actively involved in lobbying
on its behalf. The Education Sector Co-ordinating
Committee has met regularly with Alberta education ministers.
Institutions where AUPE represents staff include
three universities, two technical institutions, an art
college, eight community colleges and three
school boards across Alberta.
Canada West Foundation Chief Economist Todd Hirsch called for solutions to Alberta’s shortage of skilled labour including more post-secondary
funding for programs and facilities, more flexibility for post-secondary
institutions to start new programs, and more transferability of credits
between institutions.
And Lethbridge University Political Science Professor Peter McCormick
provided participants with an entertaining, but occasionally gloomy,
assessment of the prospects for protection of Canada’s social programs by
our conservative provincial government, badly split Parliament and a
Supreme Court that seems to be tilting toward a neo-conservative interpretation of the Charter.
“There’s more peril than promise,” he concluded.
Other speakers included Shirley Dul, Assistant Deputy Minister,
Apprenticeship and Industry Training Division, Alberta Advanced
Education; NDP MLA David Eggan; Elaine Ho, Executive Director of the
Alberta College and Technical Institute Student Executive Council, and
Duncan Woztajzek, Executive Director of the Council of Alberta
University Students.
“I recommend that more of our Ed Sector members take part in these conferences,” MacLennan said after the event. “They will gain new ways of
looking at old problems, and new strategies for helping us with our ultimate goal in this area, which is building a better public education system
in our province for the benefit of all Albertans.”
AUPE President Dan MacLennan and conference organizer Steve Nimchuk in Canmore
Congratulations on 30 years of working
together to make Alberta the most prosperous province and place of many
of the best public employees on the
planet! … AUPE is a huge and essential
p a rtner in this province’s pro g ress. We
legislators can make the direction and
policy, but without the public service
and your membership, nothing
would ever get executed.
Lorne G Mann
Mayor, Town of Peace River
Alberta
17
AUPE sets a high standard for organized
labour in the province. Every member of
your union must be justifiably proud of
what you have accomplished together in
the past 30 years in this province. As the
l a rgest union in the Alberta, AUPE
members are a force to be reckoned with,
and time and time again your union has
demonstrated both resolve and ingenuity
in bargaining on behalf of your members. Alberta New Democrats are proud
to stand together with AUPE members to
ensure that working people have a full
p a rtnership in building a fair and
equitable future for all Albert a n s .
David Eggen
MLA Edmonton Calder
BOARDS, AGENCIES AND
LOCAL GOVERNMENTS SECTOR
Contracts with ATB Financial
a model for other bank workers
I
f you walk into an ATB Financial location anywhere in Alberta, the
first person you see will likely be an AUPE member. Unionized
financial institutions are extremely rare, but Alberta is home to one
of the few — and AUPE’s Boards, Agencies and Local
Governments Sector is the union home for those members.
Like many other members of the sector — for example, employees of the
Alberta Research Council, the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission,
and Alberta Terminals, a corporate subsidiary of U.S.-based agrifood giant
Cargill Inc. — ATB Financial employees are part of AUPE because they
got their start as direct employees of the provincial government.
With more than 2,000 AUPE members employed mainly as Customer
Service Representatives at the Alberta-based financial institution, ATB
Financial is the largest employer in the sector.
“There aren’t many towns in Alberta where you won’t find an ATB
Financial branch,” says Vice-President Brad Smith, a Boards, Agencies
and Local Governments Sector employee who hails from Local 050 at the
AGLC.
Steve Nimchuk, the AUPE Union Representative responsible for providing union services to the union’s members at ATB Financial, notes that
AUPE’s contracts with the financial services company are often used —
for good reason — as a measuring stick by financial services industry
employees who work in non-union environments.
Members at 1980s
ATB local meeting
For 30 years, the Alberta Union of
Provincial Employees has been playing a
vital role in the daily lives of Albertans in
the fields of government services, health
care, education and local governments.
AUPE provides employees with
job protection, greater education
o p p o rtunities and health benefits by
striving for equality among members.
AUPE has served the City of Calgary
with outstanding dedication
and consideration toward its members.
Dave Bronconnier
Mayor of Calgary
Throughout its long relationship with ATB Financial, formerly known as
Alberta Treasury Branches, AUPE has fought hard for decent wages and
fair benefits.
Members at ATB Financial have seen significant improvements to salaries
and working conditions over the years. But like some other employerunion relationships, the road to labour peace has included some hurdles.
In the late 1990s, about the same time ATB Financial officially became a
provincial Crown Corporation instead of a government department, a
campaign to decertify the union was launched.
“I personally traveled to worksites throughout the city and the province to
talk to Local 001 and Local 002 members about the situation,” recalled
Nimchuk, reflecting on that tumultuous time.
Today, ATB Financial employees have made Local 020 one of the most
active locals within in AUPE.
“Our most recent Annual General Meeting in Leduc was attended by a lot
of members we had never seen before,” said Lyn Webster from the branch
in Mountain View, the local’s Provincial Executive representative.
Continued on page 19
18
“Our visibility as a union is increasing all the time,” said Webster, who is
also a member of the local bargaining committee. “We’ve established 10
scholarships worth $1,000 each for our members, as well as long-service
awards and member contests.
Alberta Treasury Branches was established by the provincial government in
1938 to extend basic financial services to communities throughout the
province — not just big cities. The first branch opened on Sept. 29, 1938,
in Rocky Mountain House.
Alberta Treasury Branches became a provincial Crown Corporation in
October 1997 under the authority of the Alberta Treasury Branches Act.
The financial institution is one of 16 employers whose employees are represented by AUPE under the Boards, Agencies and Local Governments
Sector.
These also include the Alberta Pension Administration Corp., Capital
Region Housing Corp., Edmonton Immigrant Services Association, the
Municipal Districts of Mackenzie and Northern Lights, Saddle Hills and
Strathcona Counties, the Special Areas Board (Hanna), the Legal Aid
Society of Alberta and the Towns of Bonnyville and Ponoka.
Michener Centre food
services worker in 1978
BOARDS, AGENCIES
AND LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS SECTOR
There are approximately 4,000 members
in AUPE’s Board’s Agencies and Local
Governments Sector.
Sector members work for quasi-independent boards set up by the government
of Alberta, government agencies, municipal governments, a financial institution
and a private grain-handling company.
There are 16 employers in the sector.
Olds College groundskeeper
19
LABOUR RELATIONS
Members ratify numerous new agreements
1980 ‘Apples & Oranges’ campaign
20
Good Sam Group Homes & Options:
12% over 2 years
Members employed by the Good Samaritan Society at 21
Edmonton-area Group Homes and Options worksites ratified a
two-year collective agreement on Aug. 3.
The agreement was a significant victory for the more than 180
members of AUPE Local 047/011, who had been under pressure from their employer to accept an inferior contract.
The two-year agreement was significantly improved from the
employer’s last offer, which the Good Sam Society had forced
the employees to vote on using provisions of Alberta labour
law.
Under the agreement ratified by members, Group Homes and
Options employees received a 7-per-cent lump-sum payment in
the first year of the agreement and will get a 3-per-cent on-thegrid pay increase in the second year, which expires on June 30,
2007.
The agreement also included an increase in mileage payments
for employees who use their cars on the job, more generous
overtime pay provisions and a shorter probationary period for
new employees.
St. Joseph’s GSS and ANC:
Members ratify extension
General Support Service (GSS) and Auxiliary Nursing Care
(ANC) employees of St. Joseph’s Auxiliary Hospital on July
27 approved a one-year extension to their collective agreement
that includes a pay increase of at least 3 per cent.
Capital Care long-term care facilities in the Edmonton area and
for 30 LPNs at St. Joseph’s, a continuing care hospital in
Edmonton.
The St. Joseph’s LPNs, members of AUPE Local 047/015, bargain at the same table as the Capital Care Group ANC employees, who are members of Local 049. The contract extension
continues the current collective agreement until June 30, 2008,
with no changes other than the pay increases.
Alberta Research Council:
11.25% or more over 3 years
Members who work as research technologists and administrative support staff for the Alberta Research Council July 12 ratified a three-year collective agreement that includes total pay
increases of 11.25 per cent or more.
The agreement also included a better formula for determining
employees’ compensation, as well as improved benefits.
Approximately 250 Local 060 members employed by the
research council will now advance through 10 steps from their
starting pay rate to the top rate for their job category. In addition to regularly negotiated across-the-board pay raises,
employees’ pay will increase 3 per cent at each step of the grid.
Calgary Health Region:
GSS members reach 3-year agreement
A new collective agreement for more than 5,200 AUPE GSS
members employed by the Calgary Health Region was ratified
in a mail-in ballot counted June 1.
The contract extension for the approximately 200 AUPE members of AUPE Local 047/015 was proposed by the employer
and reviewed by the chapter’s executive, which decided to put
it to a vote of its membership.
The three-year agreement contains pay increases for all
employees in AUPE Local 095, including housekeeping,
dietary and laundry workers — a significant victory for the
union’s members at the Calgary Health Region.
The one-year contract extension covers all GSS employees of
the hospital, a group that includes housekeeping and dietary
employees, administrative staff, maintenance workers and
trades people. In addition it covers all ANC employees of the
hospital except Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs), who are
members of the same chapter but bargain at a separate table.
Under the agreement, all CHR GSS employees received a pay
increase of three per cent in the first year, retroactive to April 1,
2005. For the second year, employees received pay increases of
two per cent retroactive to April 1, 2006.
Capital Care/St. Joseph’s:
ANC, LPNs ratify extension
ANC employees of the Capital Care Group and LPNs at St.
Joseph’s Auxiliary Hospital accepted a one-year extension to
their collective agreement on July 12.
The proposal to extend the contract from the Capital Care/St.
Joseph’s employer group included on-the-grid pay increases for
approximately 1,000 Nursing Attendants and LPNs at six
Local 095 members receive another one per cent on Oct. 1,
2006. In the third and final year, they will see increases of two
per cent on April 1, 2007, and one per cent on Oct. 1, 2007.
Accredited Supportive Living Services Ltd:
3-15% over 1 year
Employees of Accredited Supportive Living Services Ltd. ratified a one-year collective agreement that includes pay increases
of 3 to 15 per cent in worksite votes counted June 27.
Continued on page 22
21
The past three decades have seen many
accomplishments for the AUPE, the
l a rgest union in Alberta. Your organization has grown to represent members in
all areas of the public service, including
g o v e rnment and many boards
and agencies, as well as the
education and health care sector.
AUPE has made great strides in
gaining fair compensation and working
conditions for public sector employees.
Above all, AUPE and its members are
respected for the excellent standard
of service they provide to Albertans
every day. Thank you for
your hard work and dedication.
Iris Evans, MLA
S h e rwood Park
Minister of Health and Wellness
LABOUR RELATIONS
The approximately 45 members of AUPE Local 047/013 care for people
with mental and physical disabilities in group homes and family homes in
Peace River, Grimshaw, Grande Prairie, High Level, La Crete and
Grande Cache.
In addition to the pay increases, the agreement includes increases in shift
differential and weekend differential pay, as well as agreement by the
employer to pay 100 per cent of benefit coverage.
Portage College:
12.5% over 3 years
Portage College members voted June 27 to ratify a three-year collective
agreement that includes pay increases of 12.5 per cent over the life of the
contract.
Under the agreement, members of Local 071/008 received a pay increase
of 4.3 per cent on July 1, 2006, and will receive additional increases of
4.2 per cent on July 1, 2007, and 4 per cent on July 1, 2008.
In addition, the agreement included improvements to the contract’s general
illness leave, hours of work and special leave provisions, plus the addition
of $200 per month to the salaries of Facilities Worker 2s or Facilities
Supervisors required by the college to have a journeyman certificate.
Portage College has campuses in Lac La Biche, St. Paul and Cold Lake.
Olds College:
12.5 % over 3 years
Members of Local 071/002 at Olds College voted June 21 to ratify a
three-year collective agreement that includes pay increases of 12.5 per
cent over the term of the contract.
President John
Booth with
media in 1980
Under the agreement, members received a pay increase of 4.3 per cent for
the first year, effective July 1, 2006, and will receive increases of 4.2 per
cent in the second year and 4 per cent in the third year.
Among several changes to the collective agreement, members at the
South-Central Alberta agricultural college will also see increases in
annual basic dental coverage, as well as unpaid leave with benefits
coverage to care for a terminally ill relative.
Northern Lakes College:
12.4% over 3 years
22
President Pat
Wocknitz with
media, circa 1987
Approximately 100 Local 071/009 members at Northern Lakes College in
Slave Lake on June 30 ratified a three-year contract that includes across-theboard pay increases of at least 12.4 per cent over the life of the agreement.
AUPE and Alberta government
post $20,000 reward to aid search
for missing Local 005 member
A
UPE and the government of Alberta on Sept. 13 posted a
$20,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and
conviction in the disappearance of a 70-year-old fire lookout
observer near Hinton. Stephanie Stewart was reported missing from the Athabasca Lookout Tower on Aug. 16, 2006.
Hinton RCMP believe Stewart is the victim of foul play and have been
conducting a criminal investigation into her disappearance from the
tower, which is located about 25 kilometres northwest of Hinton.
President Dan MacLennan
with media in 2003
“Stephanie Stewart is a member of AUPE and we will do everything in
our power to find out what happened to her and to prevent the same situation from happening again,” said AUPE President Dan MacLennan in a
joint statement with the provincial government.
“We know that the government of Alberta has exactly the same concerns that we have in this very grave
situation and we are working with them in every way
we can to solve this mystery and ensure the safety of
our members,” he said in the statement.
In the same statement, Sustainable Resource
Development Minister David Coutts appealed to
anyone with information to come forward and help
find the missing Local 005 member.
Confidential
Counselling Program
Stephanie
Stewart
“The thoughts and prayers of all of us are with Stephanie and her family,”
Coutts said.
Stewart is described as between 5 feet and 5 feet 2 inches tall, 100 to 105
pounds and in good physical condition. She has blue eyes, permed, shoulder-length grey hair and wears glasses.
An intensive ground search was conducted over several days after
Stewart’s disappearance, but turned up no sign of the woman. She was
last heard from on the evening of Friday, Aug. 25, by her family. RCMP
have ruled out the possibility she became lost or was harmed by an animal.
Police noted that a number of Stewart’s personal items were missing
from her residence at the fire lookout tower. These included two pillows
with blue covers, a burgundy bed sheet, a blue, brown and burgundy
Navajo-patterned duvet and a woman’s gold-coloured analog watch with
a second hand that displays the day of the week and the date.
Police are especially interested in sightings of suspicious vehicles or
activities in the area of Highway 40 and the Athabasca Nordic centre
between Friday, Aug. 25, and Saturday, Aug. 26, 2006.
Anyone with information should contact CrimeStoppers at
1-800-222-TIPS.
CMR Canada offers an
AUPE-sponsored program
of confidential counselling designed
to help members and their families,
including non-dependent children and extended
family members residing in Alberta, resolve their
personal and professional issues, stresses
and traumas and thus improve their
overall health, well-being and job performance.
To arrange for counselling and/or
get more information about the
counselling services covered by this program,
contact CMR Canada:
403-263-2200 in Calgary
1-800-567-9953 from elsewhere
[email protected]
www.cmrcanada.ca/AUPEmap.htm
Your confidentiality is guaranteed
23
30TH ANNIVERSARY BBQS
Grandparents Day Picnic draws more than 1,500 people
Grandparents Day BBQ, September 7, 2006
24
U of C BBQ
Red Deer Area
Council BBQ
BBQs large and small mark
30th Anniversary for AUPE
Local 054 BBQ
I
n Alberta communities large and small, AUPE members marked
their union’s 30th anniversary this summer by firing up their barbecues and breaking bread together. “It was extremely rewarding for
me to attend many of these celebrations throughout the summer
months and experience first-hand the pride that our members feel for their
union,” said AUPE President Dan MacLennan.
Members of Local 071/002, which represents 160 Olds College support
employees, kicked off the union’s anniversary celebrations with a spring
barbecue on May 30 at the Central Alberta agricultural college’s campus.
The 30th Anniversary barbecue season continued throughout the summer,
with many events, including Locals 045 and 095’s barbecue June 12 on
the grounds of Foothills Hospital in Calgary, a rainy gathering of Local
046 and 054 members June 16 at Emily Murphy Park in Edmonton, and
the Edmonton Area Council’s family barbecue June 24 at BBQ Acres.
Local 095 BBQ
Other barbecues followed in Red Deer (Red Deer Area Council), at
Lakeland College in Vermilion (Local 071/004), at Edmonton’s Royal
Alexandra Hospital (Local 054/011), the University of Calgary (Local
052), Rockyview Hospital in Calgary (Local 095), Capital Care Lynwood
(Local 049/003) and elsewhere.
The 30th Anniversary barbecue season continued up with a Sept. 7
Grandparents Day event attended by more than 1,500 people on the South
Lawn of the Legislature. The picnic was sponsored by the AUPE
Women’s Committee.
25