AUPE Local 020 to apply for compulsory arbitration with ATB Financial
EDMONTON – The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees Local 020 bargaining committee will soon be filing for compulsory arbitration with ATB Financial after the employer failed to make any significant improvements to its offer in mediation.
“Despite having three days of mediation, there’s still too much distance between the union and the employer,” said AUPE Staff Negotiation Malcolm McNaughton.
The AUPE bargaining team met with ATB representatives for mediation on Aug. 26, 27, and Sept. 16.
“We understand our members’ frustration with the bargaining process, given ATB’s relatively strong financial position. Compulsory arbitration is not our preferred course of action, but the employer’s intransigence has left us with little choice,” said McNaughton.
On August 18, ATB Financial issued a press release reporting a $33.1 million profit in the first quarter of its financial year.
“Put simply, we’re doing more business – and good business,” ATB Financial President and CEO Dave Mowat said in the release.
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