Oppose Anti-Social Offensive in Alberta

Join Information Pickets by Public Sector Workers on September 7

The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) is holding rallies and information pickets in Calgary, Edmonton and Red Deer on September 7, and is calling on all AUPE members and supporters to participate.

The union explains, “Almost all AUPE members are in bargaining, ranging from health care to provincial government services, to education, to boards and agencies, and to municipalities. Our 95,000 AUPE members have never had a better opportunity to stand together to fight for strong collective agreements.”

In all, collective agreements covering 248,000 Alberta workers expire this year, which is 10 per cent of the entire labour force in Alberta. This includes approximately 92,000 nurses, technical and professional and support staff who were directly employed by Alberta Health Services, which is now being carved up into four different organizations, 51,000 education workers, 22,000 provincial government workers, and tens of thousands of workers in long term care, assisted living, home care and seniors’ homes.

In health care and education and across all sectors, workers report understaffing and working short, unsustainable work loads and burnout, and are demanding increased funding The government must expand funding to hire and retain essential workers that all Albertans rely on, to provide public services that are high quality, publicly delivered and available when needed.

The vast majority of these workers have received wage “increases” totaling 4.25 per cent over the past four years while the cost of living has increased 16 per cent. Many public sector workers have not had a wage increase in eight years, and have lost 20 per cent or more of their real wages. Workers report that they have to rely on the food bank, that their families lack basic necessities, and that they are having increasing difficulty making two ends meet.

Stand with Public Sector Workers!

Saturday, September 7

Calgary

11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Foothills Medical Centre. 1403 29 St. NW

Edmonton

11:30 am – 1:30 pm
Violet King Henry Plaza, 10800 97 Ave.

Red Deer

11:00 am – 12:30 pm
Red Deer Polytechnic. 100 College Blvd along 32nd St.
(between the two sets of lights)