LAKELAND - To misquote the Bard, spring 2025 is shaping up to be the “spring of our discontent” as labour unions and governments at both the federal and provincial level continue to butt heads and threaten strikes or lockouts.
Canada Post
Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers are back at the bargaining table as of May 28.
A national overtime ban remains in place, but letter mail and parcel delivery services are proceeding, with some delays.
According to Canada Post, parcel deliveries are taking a significant hit with volumes down by 50 per cent as compared to last year.
The issues under discussion broadly include wages, staffing, and weekend deliveries.
Teachers
The Alberta Teacher’s Association voted 99 per cent in favour of a strike authorization with nearly 38,000 ballots cast between May 22 and May 26.
According to the ATA, their Provincial Executive Council will now “determine the next steps including a strike vote, if an acceptable resolution is not reached with the province’s school boards beforehand.”
Points of contention include “crowded and increasingly complex classrooms,” and wages.
The province says they have offered a 12 per cent increase over four years and a new common pay grid for all teachers in the province, as well as committed to $405 million in new classroom improvements.
Alberta Union of Public Employees
Alberta Union of Public Employees (AUPE) and the provincial government are expected to be back at the bargaining table beginning June 2 along with a mediator.
The AUPE represents approximately 23,000 government workers including child and youth services, law enforcement and corrections, administration and administrative support, and workers in the courts and justice system.
AUPE voted 90 per cent in favour of a strike earlier this month.
According to AUPE, the government will have a revised proposal to review when they meet.
According to the government, their last offer included “general wage increases of about 12 per cent over four years for all employees, along with market-adjustment salary increases for occupations facing recruitment and retention issues.”
In a statement on May 23, finance minister Nate Horner said, “Contingency planning is ongoing to support core government services in the event of a strike or a lockout.”
