AUPE President’s update to members on Budget 2010
Dear AUPE member:
Like you, I have deep concerns about the provincial budget that was announced yesterday. While the media has focused on the funding increases for health care — a development that we welcome and that you can take credit for, thanks to your efforts on our Alberta Hospital campaign — they have so far largely ignored serious cuts in other government departments.
I know you are concerned whether these budget cuts will mean job cuts too. I want to assure you that I am already speaking to the government on this issue. I have agreed to work with the government on any effort to save members’ jobs, but made it clear that there is no way that AUPE will help the government find ways to cut positions.
I am also concerned that after the elimination of unfilled positions left vacant during the hiring freeze over the last year, this budget will exacerbate an existing crisis in staffing levels. I have sent a clear message to the government that AUPE members are already experiencing high job stress and burnout because of the many positions that have not been filled, and told them that Albertans are certainly going to feel the impact of this in many areas as work takes longer to complete and expected public services can’t be provided.
On the budget itself, I have already made a point of criticizing the 3.1-per-cent cut to Children and Youth Services, the 39.2-per-cent-cut to Sustainable Resource Development and the 6-per-cent cut to Advanced Education and Technology. It is hard to believe that such cuts can be made without negative consequences for our members’ ability to provide services Albertans put a high priority on. Of course, there are cuts to other areas that also need scrutiny. I will continue to question both the government and our members about the impact of all the cuts in the 2010 budget.
You can see the exact size of the cuts in each department by referring to the table we have attached to the bottom of this update. I invite all of you to review the table and share with us any impacts that will be felt your department, as you become aware of them. Sharing such information with your union is a key part of AUPE’s mobilization campaign, as it allows the union to respond to threats quickly and with the insight that only front-line workers like you can provide.
I also encourage you to take part in our Blue Thursdays campaign, where members from every sector of the union wear something blue to work on Thursdays to protest against government cutbacks. You can download a Blue Thursdays poster for your bulletin board from the AUPE homepage and find a link to learn more about our mobilization campaign. If we want to protect the work we do from these budget cuts, every one of us will have to be advocates for the services we provide to Albertans.
I invite all of you to get in touch with your MLA, whether they are a member of the government or an opposition party, and explain the valuable services you provide to everyone in our province. Like you, I was shocked to see many MLAs yesterday, even members of some opposition parties, express the opinion that spending on the very programs and services we provide was out of control.
As a union we are determined to continue the fight to protect our members and the services we provide to Albertans. Our strong public presence will continue to grow over time and allow us to overcome the challenges we face.
In solidarity,
Guy Smith
President, AUPE
P.S. You can see some of my comments to media in reaction to the budget by clicking the video link on the homepage of our Website – just look for the TV in the upper-right corner of www.aupe.org.