AUPE — the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees — held a rally in Okotoks on Sunday, Sept. 8 to push for better wages, job security, working conditions and more.
Chapters and members from across different professions gathered at the Okotoks Health and Wellness Centre from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to rally as part of an organized effort across the province.
"Almost all our members are in bargaining, ranging from healthcare to provincial government services, to education, to boards and agencies, and to municipalities," wrote the union in a statement.
According to Curtis Jackson, AUPE vice-president for southern Alberta, the provincial government is directly impeding the union's progress.
"The government, who is overseeing bargaining across every table in this province through the [public bargaining compensation] office... they're limiting what employers are able to offer as far as wage increases," he said.
Nate Horner, Government of Alberta minister of finance, issued a statement on Sept. 6 indicating that while members have the right to rally, he considers the union's demand of a 26 per cent wage increase over the next three years for public employees to be unreasonable.
"The average Albertan has not seen this kind of wage increase. And this government is not going to increase taxes or cut programs and services Albertans rely on to support pay increases that are far beyond market," he said.
Jackson expressed his disapproval of Horner's statement.
"It's unfortunate that Minister Horner still thinks he has to raise taxes to pay public servants respectable wages," he said, referring to the government's forecast of a $2.9 billion surplus in 2024-25.
He continued voicing his discontent, indicating that the wage increase being offered by the employer — 7.5 per cent over four years, or two per cent annually for the first two years and 1.75 for the next two — does not match 2024's average inflation rate forecast of 2.5 per cent, according to the Government of Alberta budget released on Feb. 29.
"That means that they're still asking our members to take less than the cost of living increase at the bargaining table, and we're just not having it," he said.
Horner's statement retorts that the government's offer aligns with the Conference Board of Canada’s findings that most Albertans received a raise of between two and three per cent in 2023 and 2024."
"As more and more people are coming to Alberta, the demand for services continues to increase. This means the government’s approach to its finances must be one of balance, responsibility, and fairness to all Albertans," wrote Horner, while reaffirming the government's commitment to provide fair and competitive wages to its employees.
Dubbed "time for action rallies" by AUPE, workers also gathered in Edmonton, Calgary and Red Deer on Saturday, Sept. 7 as part of the campaign, with the union indicating that its "95,000 AUPE members have never had a better opportunity to stand together to fight for strong collective agreements."
