AUPE rally hosted in Strathmore

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Members from the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) rallied in Strathmore, Aug. 15, to raise awareness for their members currently fighting for better wages with their employers. 

“Today is the first Time for Action Rally in Strathmore, Alberta, and today, we are rallying because we have 82,000 members in AUPE who are at the bargaining table right now with their employers, and we are trying to secure meaningful wage increases that address the cost of living increases in this province,” said Curtis Jackson, vice president of AUPE, assigned to the South region. “All of our workers are currently making far less than they used to make when you factor in what the cost of living increases have been over the past couple of decades, in particular, we have been hit really, really hard since the pandemic with inflation rates skyrocketing to 7.5-8 per cent.”

Jackson explained it feels as though it is akin to a black eye given Alberta is the “richest province in Canada,” yet it is the only province to have experienced a 108 per cent increase to utility bills.

Additionally, the cost of living, from rent to mortgages to food have become exponentially more expensive.

“Our members right now are being offered meager wage increases, that do not even begin to cover the cost of inflation that the government projects for next year, so they are continuing to ask us to do more with less,” said Jackson. “Our members need more. They need better wages, we need more workers, we need to address the worker shortage in this province, we need to address the unreal workloads that are burning workers out, and we also need better supports, specifically mental health supports for our workers.”

He added AUPE workers are worried about job security and the risk of seeing the public health sector become privatized, which would lead to public health workers being out of their jobs. 

“Public sector workers in the Town of Strathmore contribute to the Strathmore economy,” he said. “When a public sector worker gets paid for working in Strathmore, nine times out of 10, their money is going to stay in Strathmore.”

The rally in Strathmore is part of the natural progression of the campaign, Jackson explained. Over 50 town halls across Alberta were hosted throughout June, including in Strathmore. At these rallies, it was indicated that employees had a desire for employers to hear and see them, and to be taken seriously at the bargaining table. 

AUPE aims to continue hosting similar rallies across the province to raise more awareness and draw attention to the debate.