ALRB ruling paves the way for privatization
As AUPE members know, Alberta Health Services is considering privatizing the remaining in-house laundry and linen services. As a result, AUPE filed an Unfair Labour Practice complaint as well as an application for a Cease and Desist Order with the Alberta Labour Relations Board.
The Board dismissed our complaint on August 28. This means Alberta Health Services will be able to move forward with the RFP (request for proposal) for contracting out laundry and linen services.
Privatizing laundry and linen services would seriously harm the AUPE members who work in-house at 54 sites across the province. It would lower working conditions, pay, benefits, hours, and more. Privatization also results in lower quality services, as staff are forced to cut corners to create profit for the private owners.
Time to fight back
What happens next is in your hands. Talk to your negotiating committee about what you are prepared to do to stand up for your jobs and your livelihood.
Talk to your family, friends, and neighbours about what is happening to health care in this province. Only your experience and passion can show them how important public health care is to Albertans.
General Support Services is the foundation without which our public health care centres could not operate; the pandemic has proven they can't do it safely without us.
AUPE members have a strong history of fighting for hospital laundry and linen services, and we’re not going to back down from this attack on our livelihoods and the services Albertans depend on.
Your AHS GSS negotiating team will keep you and your fellow members up to date when we receive new information. We will work together to protect our jobs and Alberta’s public services.
Please contact a member of the AHS GSS negotiating team or AUPE resource staff if you have any questions.
AHS GSS Negotiating Team
Local 054
Nancy Woods - nancy.janer@gmail.com
Julie Woodford (A) - juliew.chp006@gmail.com
Local 056
Deborah Nawroski – local56.bargaining@gmail.com
Tammy Lanktree (A) – local56.bargaining@gmail.com
Local 057
Darren Graham - chairlocal057@aupe.ca
Wendy Kicia (A) - wendykicia@hotmail.com
Local 058
Anton Schindler - waterdude69@gmail.com
Dave Ibach (A) - dl322j@gmail.com
Local 095
Stacey Ross – rossstacey07@gmail.com
Dusan Milutinovic (A) - dusan.aupe@yahoo.com
Lamont Health Care Centre GSS
Lorrie Tarka – lorrietarka@hotmail.com
Carol Palichuk – carolpalichuk@hotmail.com
AUPE Resource Staff
Chris Dickson, Lead Negotiator - c.dickson@aupe.org
Jason Rattray, Negotiator - j.rattray@aupe.org
Farid Iskandar, Organizer - f.iskandar@aupe.org
Kate Jacobson, Organizer - k.jacobson@aupe.org
Alexander Delorme, Communications - a.delorme@aupe.org