County of Northern Lights is not interested in paying us a fair wage—so your negotiating team is moving towards mediation.
The County of Northern Lights’ low-ball offer is a three-year agreement with wage adjustments of 2% in the first year, 1.5% in the second, and 1.5% in the third year. That is just insulting.
Your negotiating team proposed reasonable, evidence-based wage increases that reflect wages that help us buy groceries, pay rent and reflect the value of what we do.
But the employer rejected most of the union’s demands.
Our proposals
We're asking for a four-year deal with wage increases of 10% in the first year, 6% in the second, 4% in the third, and 4% in the fourth year. We also demanded key benefits including eyeglass coverage of $400 every two years and an annual increase to the Flexible Spending Account to $1,500.
The chart below shows how our wages would have increased if our cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) proposal was in place for the last four years.
Source: Statistics Canada
Inflation vs. County of Northern Lights Wage Settlements (2017 – 2026)
The table below shows the accelerated growth in both Inflation in Alberta and wage settlements for AUPE members of the County of Northern Lights bargaining unit.
Between 2016 and 2024, while the prices in Alberta have increased almost 25%, wages for AUPE members in the County of Northern Lights have only increased only 10.3%.
That means members are almost 15% less well off than they were in 2016.
Note: Based the Government of Alberta’s CPI projections outlined in Budget 2025, Inflation in 2025 and 2026 will continue to erode our wage purchasing power by an additional 5.0%.
Source: CPI (2016-2024) - Statistics Canada: Table 18-10-0005-01 | CPI (2025-2026) Budget 2025 | Northern Lights- Alberta Mediation Services Wage Tables
Your negotiating team thanks you for your patience and support. We’re not asking for more than we deserve – that ends now.
Join the Meeting on April 29
Please plan to attend a bargaining update meeting either in person or virtually on Tuesday, April 29 from 6 -7 pm at the Manning Fire Hall meeting room (upstairs). For those attending virtually, please check to see if you received a meeting link via text message. Pizza will be served.
If you have any questions or concerns about this bargaining update, please contact a member of your negotiating team or the Member Resource Centre, toll-free, at 1-800-232-7284.
AUPE NEGOTIATING TEAM – COUNTY OF NORTHERN LIGHTS
Mike Connell
mike.awesome.connell@gmail.com
Trinidy Schmidt
trinidyschmidt@live.ca
Teresa Tupper
teresaatupper@hotmail.com
Pearl Luken-Shatford (alt)
pearl.shatford@gmail.com
Denilda Johnson (alt)
denilda49@gmail.com
Sam Tupper (alt)
samuelmtupper@gmail.com
AUPE RESOURCE STAFF
James Mitchell, Negotiations
j.mitchell@aupe.org
