Story by Cindy Tran •
President Guy Smith speaks at the AUPE's 45th Annual Convention on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023 in Edmonton. Greg Southam-Postmedia© Provided by Edmonton Journal
More than 1,000 union members and activists are in Edmonton for the Alberta Union of Provincial Employee’s 46th annual convention ahead of next year’s bargaining negotiations.
The three-day convention kicked off Thursday morning at the Edmonton EXPO Centre with opening remarks from the president of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees Guy Smith, who said the show of solidarity and unity among members was inspiring and necessary as they prepare to head into negotiations in 2024.
Smith said more than 81,000 AUPE members will be entering negotiations with their employer in the new year and they already have their bargaining teams in place, but in the meantime the convention serves as a place where members and activists can voice their concerns and share what they want to see done.
“W hat’s unique about this is that regardless of what sector our members work in or who their employer is, t here are five or six main goals that impact everybody, including those around pay increases, dealing with staffing shortages, job security, benefits and supports for mental health,” said Smith.
“A lot of our members on the front lines, like most of the world, is suffering from increased mental health issues, and we believe that employers need to step up and recognize that and support our members.”
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AUPE is the largest union in western Canada representing 95,000 employees in government, health care, education, boards and agencies and local government.
Smith called next year’s bargaining “historic,” due to the large size and number of members they have going into negotiations. He said the upcoming negotiations is a chance to make “serious gains” that were difficult in the previous round of bargaining, which took place during the pandemic.
“What we saw from all employers was rollbacks and concessions, and they may bring those to the table next year, too. But we are now historically much better prepared than we ever have been before.”
Throughout the next three days delegates will be electing a new executive committee including a president, secretary treasurer and six vice-presidents on top of ongoing discussions surrounding bargaining.
The convention is an open forum and a number of resolutions will be coming forward to amend the union’s constitution, said Smith.
“We’re looking for some good robust debate. Every voice is welcome to be heard and we’ll come to some decisions there, and obviously the big decision that delegates have to make is to elect the new executive committee.”
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