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The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) says health-care workers across the province have walked off the job this morning. No numbers or locations. AUPE represents 58,000 nursing and health support workers. #ableg
This walkout comes after the Alberta government announced it would lay off 11,000 Heath support workers by AHS privatizing some services like laundry and food services. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-health-services-job-cuts-tyler-shandro-1.5760155 #ableg
AUPE president Guy Smith will speak to reporters outside the Royal Alex hospital at 8:30 a.m. #ableg
AUPE president Guy Smith tells my colleague @CarolAmadeoCBC about 175 workers at the Royal Alex refused to go to work this morning. Workers have also walked off the job at two sites in Calgary. Workers are primarily those affected by outsourcing. #ableg #yeg #yyc
Here's our early story, check back for updates: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/wildcat-strike-aupe-health-workers-1.5776855 #ableg
Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA), which represents 27,000 health professionals, says in a statement its members will respect AUPE picket lines #ableg
Opposition NDP leader Rachel Notley blames Alberta Premier Jason Kenney in a statement on the walkouts; says privatizing health services will result in poorer quality health care for Albertans. #ableg
“The UCP has repeatedly introduced illegal pieces of legislation designed specifically to attack frontline healthcare workers," she says. "In contrast, our NDP government maintained labour peace over our four-year term while containing costs." #ableg
I don't want to guess which pieces of legislation Notley is referring to, but unions have previously expressed concerns with Bill 32 labour changes, which affects picket line rules, secondary picketing and how unions collect dues https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-bill-32-workplace-unions-1.5640952 #ableg
AUPE has also filed a constitutional challenge of Bill 1, which makes illegal blocking any critical infrastructure during protest: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/aupe-files-constitutional-challenge-of-alberta-s-critical-infrastructure-defence-act-1.5623693 #ableg
And Alberta doctors are suing the provincial government over Bill 21 of 2019, which, among other things, allowed the government to terminate the master agreement with the Alberta Medical Association, which it did in February of this year https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-medical-association-charter-doctors-government-alberta-pay-1.5527894 #ableg
AUPE members picketing outside the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton. Pictures from colleague Dave Bajer. #ableg #yeg
AUPE Vice President Susan Slade has told my colleague @wallissnow there are also picketers today at University of Alberta Hospital, the WestView Health Centre in Stony Plain and the Cold Lake Healthcare Centre. #ableg #yeg
AHS is calling the walkout illegal in a thread of tweets: https://twitter.com/AHS_media/status/1320761051919519751 #ableg
AHS has applied to the Labour Relations Board to order the striking workers back to work. #ableg
AHS says some surgeries and ambulatory care clinics are being postponed. Visitors may be limited at some sites depending on strike action there. #ableg
AHS email statement on AUPE worker job action: #ableg
The Alberta Federation of Labour will hold a press conference on the strikes outside the Royal Alex Hospital at 1 p.m., joined by reps from the United Nurses of Alberta and Health Sciences Association of Alberta. #ableg
