The Town of Coaldale and AUPE are speaking out after the municipality's latest contract offer was rejected. (Photo: Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

Town of Coaldale says contract rejection shows ‘disconnect,’ union calls offer ‘insultingly bad’

Aug 12, 2025 | 9:22 AM

Unionized employees at the Town of Coaldale and the municipality do not appear to be any closer to settling their long-standing labour dispute.

On Wednesday, August 6, members of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) voted 39-9 in favour of rejecting the Town’s latest offer for a new collective bargaining agreement.

AUPE Vice-President Curtis Jackson says it was an “insultingly bad new contract,” and that AUPE members in Coaldale stood up for their rights and the wages they deserve.

“Staff knew that the offer came nowhere close to meeting their needs,” he adds. “With this vote, they have sent a strong message to their employer. These AUPE members won’t stand for the employer’s tactics and are prepared to fight for a fair deal at the bargaining table.”

Some of the provisions in the offer include:

Nighttime construction on Hwy 3 in Lethbridge starts April 17

Apr 17, 2025

SASHA launches #BuyABed fundraiser to support vulnerable Lethbridge residents

Apr 04, 2025

$20K grants available: TELUS STORYHIVE Pan-Asian Edition opens applications April 1

Mar 18, 2025

• A four-year agreement with annual general wage increases of 2.5%, 2.75%, 2.75%, and 3%
• Additional market adjustments to the wage grid
• 100% employer-paid premiums for extended health, dental, life, and short-term disability benefits
• Enhanced paid parental leave
• Increased shift premiums and boot allowances
• A 2% vacation pay boost for casual and seasonal employees (from 4% to 6%)

In what Town of Coaldale Chief Administrative Officer Kalen Hastings describes as “the spirit of give and take,” employees were asked to consider making the following concessions:

• That the overtime rate moves from double time (2X) to time-and-a-half (1.5X)
• That the partial payout of unused sick leave hours be discontinued, and that the annual number of sick days remain at 12 (recognizing that the Town has both short-term and long-term disability plans in place for permanent employees)
• That call-outs (for on-call staff) be at 1.5X the regular rate of pay as opposed to 2.0X
• That the joint Employer (1%) / Employee (0.75%) Group RRSP program, which is a benefit that falls outside the Collective Agreement, be discontinued

Hastings disagrees with Jackson’s view of the proposed deal, saying that it was “both generous and sustainable.”

He believes that the rejection of the offer shows a widening disconnect between the public sector wage expectations and the economic realities facing the broader communities that fund them.

“This proposal was far from insulting. It reflected our commitment to supporting staff while also protecting the interests of Coaldale residents,” says Hastings. “Simply put, this offer struck a good balance between our commitment to looking after the needs [of] our employees while being sensitive to 1) the Coaldale taxpayer, who ultimately foots the bill for these wages; 2) the Coaldale business owner, who has to compete with the Town for the same workers; and 3) the Town’s long-term financial health.”

Hastings asserts that AUPE is an organization that likes to invoke the language of fairness and workers’ rights as a “smokescreen for greed and entitlement.”

The full contract offer can be viewed on Coaldale.ca

For local news delivered daily to your email inbox, subscribe for free to the Lethbridge News Now newsletter here. You can also download the Lethbridge News Now mobile app in the Google Play and the Apple App Stores.