Committee on Political Action

AUPE’s Constitution sets out the duties of the Committee on Political Action as follows:

The Committee on Political Action shall:

1. review the social and political practices and interests of the Union and promote the education and social action of the members as they relate to the interests of the Union on matters of political concern;
2. promote the union related political education of the membership;
3. encourage and promote the social action and political participation of members in order to further the interests of the Union;
4. act on behalf of members in matters of concern to them relating to the political process;
5. recommend priorities from time to time for the Union’s activities in the area of political education; and
6. shall actively pursue election reform to achieve a fair system of proportional representation for Alberta voters.

The Parkland Institute has released a report called A Thumb on the Scale containing a dire warning to all union members in Alberta.  

AUPE’s Committee on Political Action (COPA) has reviewed the report, and we believe the UCP has created a serious labour crisis that affects every member of every bargaining unit in Alberta.  

The Parkland Institute report reveals various ways in which Danielle Smith’s government has, and likely will continue to, interfere with the public sector’s fair bargaining process in 2024. Their goals are clear: to pit workers against each other and give negotiators no real power.  

These strong-arm tactics are already driving workers out of the public sector and causing catastrophic disruption to the lives of Albertans. It’s time to stop pretending that we can’t afford nice things – like a living wage and realistic workloads.