AUPE Convention delegates vote to formally disaffiliate from national and provincial labour organizations
EDMONTON – Delegates to the 30th Annual Convention of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees have voted overwhelmingly to disaffiliate the union from provincial and national labour organizations.
The vote today means the 63,000-member AUPE, Alberta’s largest union, will no longer be affiliated with the National Union of Provincial and General Employees, or through it with the Alberta Federation of Labour and the Canadian Labour Congress.
AUPE was suspended from membership in NUPGE in March of 2001 after another union complained when some of its members democratically chose to join AUPE.
At the time, AUPE argued that union members should have a right to choose the unions they want to belong to, and in the debate preceding the resolution delegates strongly restated that view.
“AUPE continues to support the right of union members to choose which union will represent them in collective bargaining,” said AUPE President-Elect Doug Knight, who will be sworn in tomorrow.
“While we do not rule out eventually returning to the ‘House of Labour,’ delegates expressed the view that when we do so it will have to be on AUPE’s terms,” Knight said. “These organizations are going to have to change, and they are going to have to recognize the rights of working people.”
Since being suspended from NUPGE, AUPE has re-allocated the approximately $2.5 million in annual dues it would pay to the three labour organizations, using the funds for the AUPE Defence Fund and for labour education programs for AUPE members, including the annual Labour School.
AUPE’s Provincial Executive brought the motion to the union’s convention because they were concerned NUPGE might lift its suspension and AUPE would fall back into these organizations.
“It will be the decision of AUPE members if affiliations are in our future,” Knight said.
For additional information, contact:
David Climenhaga, Communications Director, AUPE, 780-930-3311 or 780-717-2943 (mobile telephone)