About
Where trade unions are most firmly organized, there are the rights of the people most respected.
Samuel Gompers (1850-1924)
Who We Are
The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees is Alberta’s largest union, representing more than 70,000 Albertans who work in government, health care, education, boards and agencies, municipalities and private companies. The majority of AUPE’s members work in the public sector.
Members of AUPE work in occupations that include clerical, nursing, social services, trades and maintenance, and technical work. Approximately one third of AUPE’s total members are direct employees of the Alberta provincial government, working in a wide variety of occupations, while about half of AUPE's total members are employed in the heath-care sector.
For administrative purposes, AUPE divides its members into four basic sectors:
The Provincial Government Sector
AUPE’s Provincial Government sector has over 21,000 members, all direct employees of the Alberta Provincial Government. The sector has nine locals, based on the occupations of members. AUPE negotiates a single Master Agreement with the provincial government on behalf of all members of the sector, as well as nine separate Subsidiary Agreements that deal with issues specific to occupational groups. The collective agreement with the province is the largest and most complex such contract in Alberta.
The Health Care Sector
AUPE’s Health Care Sector has over 37,000 members working for public, private and not-for-profit health care providers. The largest employer in this sector is Alberta Health Services, the province’s health superboard. AUPE represents all Auxiliary Nursing Care (ANC) employees, and most General Support Service (GSS) employees. AUPE members also work in many large and small continuing-care facilities, including some run directly by AHS, others run for large not-for-profit organizations, and many run by private companies.
The Education Sector
Over 8,700 AUPE members work in support roles at 15 post-secondary institutions and three school boards, spread across Alberta. The post-secondary institutions include three universities, two technical institutions and ten colleges.
The Boards, Agencies and Local Governments Sector
More than 4,300 AUPE members work for a variety of mostly public-sector employers, including municipal governments, commissions, and boards and agencies of the Alberta government and of municipal governments. In this sector are employees of ATB Financial, one of the world’s few unionized financial institutions.