Alberta government and CUPE exchange accusations over labour dispute

The Alberta government is accusing CUPE National of interfering in local education labour negotiations, while the union’s Alberta wing says the province is running a “smear campaign” to distract...

Source: Facebook

Author: Isaac Lamoureux

The Alberta government is accusing CUPE National of interfering in local education labour negotiations, while the union’s Alberta wing says the province is running a “smear campaign” to distract from growing strike action.

Alberta Finance Minister Nate Horner and Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides issued a joint statement on Tuesday responding to “CUPE National attacks on public bargaining.”

“CUPE National union with Ontario-based leadership is interfering in what should be local negotiations between school boards and CUPE locals, and in other areas using tactics of fear and intimidation to prevent deals from being signed,” reads the joint statement.

The provincial ministers cited various examples of CUPE’s alleged interference.

“This pattern of behaviour is disturbing and shows that education support workers who do not yet have a deal will not be permitted to vote on one, under fear of deregistration by union leaders in Ontario,” reads the statement.

CUPE Alberta President Rory Gill responded to the government’s statement.

“The outrageous statement posted by the Alberta government today is full of falsehoods and baseless attacks,” said Gill.

He said that the Alberta UCP is trying to distract from the five strike votes underway and cited recent polling data showing that the party’s supporters back the strikes, albeit less than the general public.

While CUPE Alberta defended various events cited by the Alberta government, the provincial government hit back in a message to True North.

According to Medicine Hat News, the city’s local union board was removed by CUPE National within an hour of signing a new collective agreement with the Medicine Hat Public School Division.

Sharon Stolz, president of Local 829 for over 12 years before being removed, told the local news outlet that CUPE National representatives told her they didn’t want local members to vote because others were striking elsewhere in the province.

“This is just the most disgusting thing I’ve ever seen,” said Stolz.

She added that her removal stemmed from suggesting local workers consider voting to decertify from the union.

The chair of the Medicine Hat Public School Division issued a similar statement.

“MHPSD, after consulting legal counsel, filed a bad faith bargaining complaint due to CUPE National’s actions. This complaint expresses concern regarding CUPE National’s decision to remove the Local’s executive from representing its members,” said the board’s chair.

CUPE Alberta also criticized the provincial government for allegedly having the lowest per-capita education funding in the country.

Statistics Canada’s most recent data highlights that British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador both spend less per student than Alberta in pre-primary, primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary school.

Alberta also allocated emergency funding to education on numerous occasions this year to combat record immigration. Alberta’s spending on education will reach a record $9.3 billion in 2024-25.

The province’s 2025 budget is also said to focus on addressing economic pressures from a surge in population.

The Alberta government said that union leaders interfering in Alberta’s education negatively affects students in the province.

“Alberta’s government and school boards have shown up to the table to find a path forward, but CUPE National leaders clearly have ulterior motives that are not in the best interests of their members or Alberta students,” reads the statement. “Alberta’s government calls upon CUPE to allow local bargaining to take place and stop these tactics of fear and intimidation so that kids can be back in school getting the care and education they deserve.”

CUPE similarly came under fire recently when True North revealed the union was asking the federal government to forcibly take ownership of any “nationally important” company that threatened to move its operations to the United States due to tariff threats from President Donald Trump.