By From the Canadian Press and UCP news release

UCP publishes ‘Open for Business Act’ – part of Job Creation Strategy

Mar 15, 2019 | 6:04 PM

EDMONTON — Alberta Opposition Leader Jason Kenney says a government led by him after a spring election would cut the minimum wage for young workers to create more jobs.

Kenney says the United Conservatives would roll back Alberta’s $15-an-hour minimum wage to $13 an hour for those 17 or younger, as  the current $15 across-the-board wage is curtailing hiring.

The changes are among a number of labour proposals announced by Kenney on Friday (Mar 15).  He says a UCP government would also make changes to union rules.

Other issues the Open for Business Act will undertake:

Appoint a Minimum Wage Expert Panel to consult with workers, employers, and policy experts; analyse and publish all of the available economic data on the labour market impact of the NDP’s 50% increase in the minimum wage;  assess whether hospitality industry workers who serve alcohol would likely generate higher net incomes (i.e. by working more hours) with a wage differential similar to those that exist in Ontario[2] Quebec[3] and British Columbia[4]

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— Return to a regular / irregular workday distinction for calculating general holiday pay.
— Return to a holiday pay qualifying period of 30 work days in the last 90 days of employment.
— Return to allowing banked hours to be paid out at regular pay instead of time-and-a-half.
— Review all regulations as part of the UCP Red Tape Reduction Action Plan, with the goal of reducing the regulatory burden on job creators by one third.

The Open for Business Act would restore workplace democracy and bring balance back to labour legislation, while retaining recent changes that have strengthened worker rights and provided for greater compassionate leave. The UCP would:

— Restore the mandatory secret ballot for union certification votes.
— Protect workers from being forced to fund causes and political parties without explicit opt-in approval.
— Reverse the replacement worker ban in the public sector.
— Require the Labour Relations Board to provide legal support to all union workers in order to better understand and exercise their rights.
— Strengthen new provisions in the Labour Relations Code that have reduced the duplication of employment claims in multiple forums (such as labour relations; employment standards; arbitration; and privacy).
— Retain new forms of leave adopted in recent legislation including:

Personal and Family Responsibility Leave:

— Long-Term Illness and Injury Leave 
— Bereavement Leave 
— Domestic Violence Leave 
— Citizenship Ceremony Leave – A new unpaid leave provides up to a half-day of job protection for employees attending a citizenship ceremony.
— Critical Illness of an Adult Family Member 
— Critical Illness of a Child 
— Death or disappearance of a Child 

Kenney stated the UCP would also retain essential services legislation, and some other sensible recent changes to the labour code.

“We have to protect the rights and safety of hard-working Albertans. And to make sure there’s work for everybody who wants it, we also have to reduce unnecessary costs and red tape on those who create jobs.”
 
“A UCP government will end the NDP’s ideological attacks on job creators, and bring balance back to the relationships between workers and employers,” Kenney concluded. “The jobs crisis in this province is not going to solve itself. It will action to get Alberta back to work, and that’s what the Open for Business Act is all about.”