Organization
Convention
AUPE’s ultimate governing body is the union’s annual Convention.
Each local is entitled to send one delegate for every 100 members to Convention, normally held in Edmonton. Convention is where policies are established, budget and operating procedures determined, and officers elected by a vote of the delegates present.
Executive Committee
During Conventions held in odd-numbered years, an Executive Committee is elected, made up of eight officers: the President, the Executive Secretary-Treasurer and six Vice-Presidents. The President and Executive Secretary-Treasurer serve as salaried employees of the union, while the Vice-Presidents are AUPE member volunteers.
The role of the President is to supervise the affairs of the union, act as chief spokesperson, and assign duties and responsibilities to other executive officers and union staff.
The Executive Secretary-Treasurer is the full-time chief financial officer of the union, responsible for all AUPE’s financial and accounting records.
The Executive Committee is also in charge of assigning volunteer members to the union’s standing committees.
Contact information and biographies of AUPE’s current executive can be found here.
Provincial Executive
The Provincial Executive — made up of the Executive Committee and one elected member from each local — is the governing body of AUPE between Conventions.
The Provincial Executive meets several times a year to conduct the business of the union. Click here to view summaries of Provincial Executive meetings, dating back to 1998.
| Local | Representative | Local | Representative | Local | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 001 | Audrey Randall | 041 | Myrna Wright | 053 | Mark Sabo |
| 002 | Milo Steele | 042 | Susan Christensen | 054 | Margaret Heil |
| 003 | Hal Griffith | 043 | Krista Brzezicki | 056 | Lynne Hansen |
| 004 | Dan Niven | 044 | Judy LeBlanc | 057 | Jules Noel |
| 005 | Mike Dempsey | 045 | Joanne Zawada | 058 | Sara Walker |
| 006 | Melanie Metcalf | 046 | Joanne Spencer | 060 | Irene Gaudet |
| 009 | Darrol Mason | 047 | Julie Jacques | 069 | Bonnie Nahornick |
| 012 | Mark Ellis | 048 | Sheila Veldhoen | 071 | Bobby-Joe Rovensky |
| 020 | Shirley Wilson | 049 | Liberty Pestano | 095 | Marilyn Dorozio |
| 038 | Rod Feland | 050 | Jennifer Yeoman | 118 | Karen Sputek |
| 039 | Kim Noble | 052 | Dan Tilleman | ||
Standing Committees
AUPE has thirteen (13) permanent committees, established by the union’s constitution, to advise the Provincial Executive.
They are:
- Legislative Committee, which advises on everything about the constitution and policies of AUPE.
- Membership Services Committee, which considers matters relating to the delivery of services to AUPE members.
- Finance Committee, which advises on the administration and finances of AUPE, and ensures proper records are kept.
- Committee on Political Action, which promotes education and social action by members on matters of political concern.
- Occupational Health and Safety Committee, which promotes occupational health and safety among members.
- Anti-Privatization Committee, which promotes education of members and the public on matters of privatization and contracting out.
- Women’s Committee, which promotes education of members and the public on issues of equality and discrimination, especially as they pertain to women.
- Pension Committee, which concerns itself with issues pertaining to members’ pensions.
- Members’ Benefit Committee, which reviews applications for financial assistance from AUPE members.
- Pay and Social Equity Committee, which educates members and lobbies for pay equity.
- Young Activists Committee, which aims to help young people become empowered in their working lives.
- Human Rights Committee, which educates, promotes awareness and encourages action among members and the public related to equality, discrimination and related issues.
- Environment Committee, which promotes education among members and the public about and develops programs to respond to environmental concerns related to AUPE.
Locals and Chapters
There are three types of locals, which range in size from a dozen to thousands of workers:
- Locals in the General Service of the Alberta government. These locals are made up of a large number of workers in a “community of interest.” For example, all members of Local 001 are government clerical workers.
- Locals containing only a single bargaining unit. For example, Local 039 represents all members who work for the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in Calgary.
- Locals that represent a large number of employees doing similar work at different job sites, often with several collective agreements.
The largest locals are divided into chapters, to represent members at individual job sites. Each local and chapter has a democratically elected executive.
Area Councils
Area councils are set up geographically to serve the social and general welfare needs of AUPE members. They are financed by the union and organize events like curling bonspiels, Christmas parties, picnics and other social activities.