ALBERTA FEDERATION OF LABOUR

Let's be clear about what's on the line today

Today, 51,000 teachers are on strike. This should not come as a shock to anyone, least of all the UCP government, whose chronic underfunding of K-12 education has created a crisis in classrooms across the province.     Conditions in health care are equally turbulent. Neglect, mismanagement, chaos, and outright corruption have been the hallmarks of the UCP’s “stewardship” of our vital public health system. While no health care workers are currently on strike, their concerns about salary and frontline services are far from settled.   Wage stagnation in the public sector is eroding morale and making it difficult to recruit and retain the professional workers needed to keep education and health care sustainable. And unlike what Premier Smith may say, good wages do not come at the expense of services to the public. We can—and must—fund both properly.     Let’s be clear about what is on the line today. Do we want a province in which professionals are paid appropriately, and public services are sustained for current and future generations? That's the province the teachers are fighting for. We are inspired by their courage.   In solidarity, Gil

AFL UPDATES

Raise the minimum wage to $20 NOW! “Under the UCP, living standards are going backwards rapidly. As of today, Alberta’s minimum wage has been frozen for seven years — a badge of shame for a province where the cost of living has skyrocketed. It is time to raise the minimum wage to $20/hour for everyone and index it to inflation so that hard-working Albertans get what they deserve and never again fall so far behind their peers in other provinces.”  Press release on minimum wage  This government’s handling of K-12 education gets an F  “All Alberta children deserve a public education that will set them up for success. The future of this province depends on an educated workforce. Teachers are doing their best. The government is not doing its best. It is time to fix this unproductive dynamic.”  Read the AFL statement on K-12 education    Giving for Gaza  On September 27, the AFL participated in the annual Run for Palestine in Edmonton. We raised over $1,300, helping contribute to a campaign that raised well over $150,000. Even though the news from the Occupied Territories is so bleak and harrowing, we have all been inspired to see the solidarity from Alberta workers. We are also proud that our statement on Palestine has been so well received by others in the labour movement.   AFL statement on Palestine    Avoid shopping at non-unionized Sobeys  “Sobeys’ aggressive move to lock out its employees at a major province-wide distribution centre shows blatant disregard for the bargaining process,” said Gil McGowan. “These 251 workers, members of Teamsters Local 987, deserve far better than this. This is a hugely profitable corporation that has chosen bullying over bargaining."  Read the AFL press release  "If you take on one of us, you take on all of us!"  On September 9, leaders of the Common Front, an umbrella group for all Alberta unions, put the UCP government on notice. "Members of unions like UFCW, AUPE, HSAA, the ATA, the United Nurses of Alberta (UNA) and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) are not only fighting for themselves; they are fighting for the wages and living standards of all workers in our province. And we will not let them fight alone.”  Read the statement  Abolish the Temporary Foreign Worker Program  The evidence is clear that the TFW program, along with other exploitative guest worker programs like the International Mobility program (IMP), has suppressed wages and is contributing to the unprecedented youth unemployment crisis that is currently gripping our country. If Mr. Poilievre is really such a champion of workers, why didn’t he abolish the program when he actually had the power to do so?”  Read the AFL press release

AFFILIATE ACTIVITY

CUPW: Striking CUPW members currently have hundreds of picket lines across the country, in all provinces and territories. Find the one closest to you and support the postal workers at this critical time.