Although they are disappointed with the Westlock Foundation’s decision to lay off 27 employees, union representatives understand the foundation’s rationale.
Lou Arab, a spokesperson for the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Alberta, the union to which the laid off workers belong, said the foundation executed the layoffs pretty much to the letter of the collective bargaining agreement.
“Essentially, our position is that the employer has made a pretty strong case for the need for layoffs,” Arab said. “They’re actually behaving the way we want employers to behave when these situations arise. There seems to be a compelling reason why the layoffs are happening.”
He explained he understood the cuts were made because the foundation had hired enough employees to service a full Pembina Lodge expansion, but those employees were not needed because the expansion is still not full.
Arab added the layoffs were done based on the employees’ seniority, with the promise that if and when the situation at the foundation changes and more employees are needed, they will be hired back according to seniority.
Despite understanding why the layoffs took place, he said it was still disappointing they had to happen.
“I don’t want to say we’re OK with layoffs happening,” Arab said. “They’re obviously nobody’s best interest. It’s not a good situation.”
What made the layoffs less of a problem was the fact the foundation had concrete reasons for its decision and had laid out a process for undoing the layoffs should the situation change, he said.
According to Sturgeon Foundation executive director Dennis Magnusson, the layoffs were announced on Jan. 7, and were phased in over two weeks.
In the time since the announcement and during the transition period, residents in both the Pembina and Smithfield lodges have not noticed any changes in the service levels.
Babs Jarvis moved into Smithfield in April 2013, and in her nine-plus months living there she has not seen a decrease in the service she receives.
“There haven’t been any changes,” she said. “The service is still very good. I’m completely satisfied. This is a great place.”
Pembina resident Ed Czuj has lived in the lodge for two years.
The staff have always been very good, he said, and he’s seen “no change” in their service over last three weeks.
In fact, Czuj said he understood why the foundation needed to trim its workforce — the long delay in filling the 68 new units in the Pembina Lodge expansion.
“Unfortunately, there’s quite a few empty units, so these extra people who were laid off were actually to accommodate the people who were supposed to be coming in,” he said.
