The rally was held to protest short-staffing and deteriorating working conditions for AUPE members on May 1, 2023 (Photo: LNN)

By Christian Oldale

AUPE members rally in Lethbridge

May 1, 2023 | 2:33 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Members of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) met at the Provincial Building in Lethbridge for a rally on May 1, 2023.

Participants were protesting short-staffing and deteriorating working conditions for AUPE members.

The union recently conducted an all-member survey focused on workforce shortages. Over 4,000 members responded to the survey, with approximately 40 per cent of members reporting working without breaks and 25 per cent reporting working through their lunch breaks.

AUPE Vice-President Darren Graham said, “It’s a crisis. Working shortage is a crisis. It’s costing everybody money, and throwing more money at the problem without having good solutions is not going to fix the problem.”

Graham also added that aside from addressing the staff shortages, it is important to the organization to highlight workers’ safety.

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He said, “We also have to make sure our members are taking the proper health and safety concerns for themselves as well. If they don’t do that, then the employer blames them and they can basically be terminated over that.”

The AUPE chose May 1 as the day for the rally due to it marking International Workers’ Day, also known as May Day. It’s a day set aside for celebrating the working class. The day also coincided with the official start of the 2023 provincial election.

In addition to Lethbridge, the AUPE also held rallies at the Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary, Red Deer Regional Hospital and the Queen Elizabeth II building in Edmonton.

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Graham’s fellow AUPE Vice-President Bonnie Gostola attended the rally in Red Deer. In a news release, she said, “Most AUPE members can trace their deteriorated working conditions to political choices made by the Alberta government, past and present. There is no better way to voice our frustration than kicking off an election period with a protest on International Workers’ Day.”

AUPE is western Canada’s largest union, with over 95,000 members.

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