AUPE strikers at Chinook regional Hospital

By Dori Modney

A-U-P-E comments to LNN on wildcat health strike

Oct 26, 2020 | 2:07 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB- Without little notice Monday morning, some front-line hospital workers walked off the job across Alberta, at various Alberta Health Services (AHS) locations, including at Lethbridge’s Chinook Regional Hospital.

Karen Weiers, a Vice President with the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (A-U-P-E), says members decided to strike to basically save their jobs and stop the privatization of health care.

“They`re also wanting to resolve the increasing crisis that they see on the inside – the short staffing that`s happening within health care, as workers are being pushed to the breaking point.

Weiers also talked about one of their biggest concerns relating to the impact of privatization of some services.

“When you bring in privatization, it seldom saves any money, in fact, it often costs more – you end up paying your workers less, the receive less benefits and often no pension. So money that would have been paid through the public system, that they used to make a living wage, they would no longer have that much income coming in, affecting their family life and what could have been spent in the community.”

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Weiers also noted, a lot of the private companies, or corporations, when they pocket their profits, often those profits don`t stay in your community, and sometimes they don`t stay in Alberta or even in our country.

The A-U-P-E vie president confirmed between 70 to 100 employees had walked out at the Regional Hospital.

“The jobs that are under threat currently are laundry, housekeeping and food and nutrition – so dietary – but, they are also threatening positions such as LPN`s as well, so it`s a variety of people represented by A-U-P-E.”

The province announced it’s intent to cut 11,000 A-H-S jobs and privatization of certain services. Weiers contends this is just the first round of cuts that they know that other cuts are coming for health care, as well as other services.

“This government ran on a platform to keep health care public, and we are not seeing that here today.”

Weiers’s noted the strikes have one purpose and that’s to save jobs and stop privatization.

“How can a Minister of Health announce in the middle of a pandemic that he’s cutting front line workers’ jobs? “Covid is actually accelerating in this province and the system is going to collapse, because there’s no way the workers can sustain the level that they’re currently being asked to do – so not only do these front line workers go in day-in and day-out, wondering if they’ll get the virus themselves or bring it home to their families, but they also now have to worry about whether they will have a job at the end of all this.”

According to Weiers, there’s no accountability when you privatize and the cuts impact all of us – not just the workers, but all Albertans.

President of Treasury Board and Minister of Finance Travis Toews issued the following statement on the illegal strikes:

“I’ve been aware of a number of illegal strikes taking place in hospitals and health care settings across the province. Government’s primary concern is ensuring the health and wellbeing of patients, which has been put at risk this morning.”

“Alberta spends 42% of its budget on health – which has increased 17% since 2015. Health spending is at record highs and is expected to be $20.9 billion this year – this does not include $769 million earmarked specifically for COVID-19.

“Alberta Health Services is taking immediate action with the Alberta Labour Relations Board to end this illegal activity. Those involved in this illegal action will be held accountable.

“My expectation is that all unions respect the bargaining process, stop putting Albertans’ safety at risk and abide by the law.”

Read more: Information on Alberta Labour Relations Board.

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