Sent on behalf of Raj Uppal, CUPE Alberta Division President:
Working Albertans are being hurt by our provincial government.
Teachers had their constitutional rights taken away. Health care is being privatized in an unprecedented way; even in ‘conservative’ Alberta, the government is courting separatists, planning to sell off our Canada Pension plan, and is fighting every group of workers it can.
In the last month, the United Conservative Party has used the ‘notwithstanding clause’ to take charter rights away from people.
Our members are increasingly pushing CUPE to fight back, and they want to know what they can do.
CUPE Alberta is working on our own fight, and we will update you soon. But in the meantime, there are many ways individual citizens can take on this government.
We are committed to providing you with ongoing information and resources to share with your members to provide education, information and opportunities to fight for our movement:
AUPE Files 72 Hour Strike Notice
As of 7:55 this morning, AUPE has filed a 72 hour strike notice for locals 41, 43, 44, 45, and 46, their Alberta Health Services Nursing Care locals. After prolonged negotiations and mediation, they still haven’t been able to reach a tentative agreement, and the offer simply isn’t good enough. They continue to fall short on wages, hours of work improvements, limits on banked overtime and more. It is essential that we support our brothers and sisters in AUPE who are fighting for wages and conditions that will have ripple effects throughout the healthcare sector. Please keep an eye out for next steps and opportunities to show up in solidarity!
People from across Alberta are filing applications to recall their UCP MLAs; they’ve had enough of the attack on our workers’ rights and massive cuts to public services we depend on Operation Total Recall has created a site which allows organizers to keep track of upcoming signing opportunities and the status of recall applications. You can learn more about the details and steps of the recall process here. We recommend that locals look into opportunities to support or spread the word about recall initiatives in their home community.
Calgary-Bow – The Calgary-Bow recall process for Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides is well underway. They have until January 21, 2026, to collect 16,006 signatures from constituents in Calgary-Bow, and they need your help. If you are a Calgary (or area) based member, we recommend connecting with the campaign to volunteer to help collect signatures and hold Nicolaides accountable. They are in crunch time and need folks to help collect signatures door-to-door in the constituency. If you haven’t gone door-to-door before, they will be happy to connect you with an experienced volunteer who can show you the ropes and take care of the talking!
After the success of the Forever Canadian Citizen Initiative Petition, another major petition is in the works to stop the funding of private schools. Alberta is the only province which funds private schools at a rate of 70% of the funding received by our public and catholic schools, and we even provide funding for construction and capital costs. This diverts money away from our public system, which is in desperate need of more funding and support. Alberta already spends the least per student in all of Canada, and we know that our students and education staff deserve better. The petition needs to collect over 177,732 signatures before February 11, 2026, and they need your help. Please check out Alberta Funds Public Schools.
CUPE Alberta launched a campaign to “Axe the Vax Tax!”. Charging for vaccines means fewer people get protected. Families living paycheck to paycheck will skip vaccines. Workers will get sick, especially healthcare and education workers. That means more outbreaks, more pressure on hospitals, and bigger bills for all of us. Please sign the petition and spread the word that Albertans shouldn’t be paying out of pocket for vaccines that keep us safe and healthy.
The Alberta Teachers Association (ATA) is fighting back against Bill 2 in the courts and the chronic underfunding of our education system. Take a minute to send an email to your MLA to tell them you’re standing with Alberta’s teachers, you’re demanding action on class sizes, and learn how underfunding impacts your local community schools. It is essential we keep the pressure on and let this Government know that we value our public services and we’re willing to fight for them!
UCP Annual General Meeting
The UCP are hosting their Annual General Meeting from November 28th to 30th at the Edmonton Expo Centre. Various groups are organizing to create protests outside the venue to signal to all UCP MLAs, their leadership and their members that they are on the wrong path. Consider joining them to tell them to respect workers, our right to fair and free collective bargaining and standing up for our public services, which are under constant threat of privatization.
Friends of Medicare – An Urgent Conversation Tour
Our long-time ally, Friends of Medicare, are teaming up with well-known public health care advocate, Dr. Paul Parks to tour the province to hear from Albertans on what we are experiencing in our health care system, and to discuss what changes could make our lives and our health better. They’ve already held very well attended events in Lethbridge and Medicine Hat, but have more stops scheduled in Fort McMurray, Red Deer, St. Albert and are planning even more in Leduc/Beaumont, Airdrie, Edmonton and Calgary. Check out their website for more details.
