AUPE will provide representation to new members as soon as possible
EDMONTON – The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees intends to move forward quickly to provide union services to employees of three health regions affected by the Feb. 17 decision of the Alberta Labour Relations Board to uphold its bargaining unit consolidation application.
AUPE continues to support the principle that working people should have the right to choose their own bargaining representatives, said AUPE President Guy Smith. “AUPE’s Executive Committee met today and agreed that we will appeal this decision by the ALRB on behalf of our members who are being moved to another bargaining unit.”
AUPE does not believe that governments should have the right to tell workers which union will represent them, Smith said. “However, in the mean time, this will have no impact on the need for workers who were members of other unions to have representation, and we will do our job for them.”
In 2008, an application to consolidate all unionized AHS employees into four province-wide bargaining units was made. The ALRB ordered the consolidation to proceed, and this order was appealed by unions representing general support service employees of the former Northern Lights, Chinook and Palliser health regions. The ALRB’s ruling in the appeal was published on Feb. 17.
As a result of the decision, AUPE now expects to gain as members GSS employees of the three former health regions. Also as a result of the decision, AUPE expects to lose some members who had been employed by the former Alberta Alcohol and Drug Addiction Commission, which was consolidated into AHS by legislation in 2009.
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