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Published on AUPE's Facebook page, November 2017
More than 400 people in Alberta working for highway maintenance contractor Carillion Canada now have their very first collective agreement.
đ Here are four reasons that their solidarity and determination are serious cause for applause:
1. First union contract in the sector in 20 years!
Highway maintenance in Alberta has been contracted out to private companies, like Toronto-based Carillion Canada, since the mid 1990s under Premier Ralph Klein. Since 1996 no group of workers have been able to successfully get a private employer in this sector to agree to a collective agreement for their workersâŚuntil now.
And it didnât come easy. These workers stuck together and fought for nearly 3 years to win themselves an agreement that ensures fair and safe working conditions on Albertaâs highways.
2. Consistent staffing levels mean safer highways.
AUPE members employed by Carillion are responsible for helping to keep our provincial highways clear and safe all year-round. For example, in Alberta all contractors are expected to provide snow and ice control before traffic is heavy. Anyone required to drive on an Alberta highway in the winter knows how crucial this work is.
The new collective agreement between Carillion staff and the company ensures minimum staffing levels including for bridge crews and mechanics. It also requires the employer to maintain a regular workforce, which means consistent, safe staffing all year.
3. Itâs a reminder that even without a single worksite, Albertans can still organize!
Across the labour movement, its a massive challenge to work in solidarity to bargain a union contract when you donât share a single work location. When your âworksiteâ is a provincial highway itâs much harder to coordinate against a well-resourced employer. There isnât a lunchroom bulletin board for staff or a chance for after-work socializing outside the office. Despite these huge challenges Carillion workers came together and pulled off an amazing feat.
4. It fixed a tragic break-up that happened in 1996.
The people that maintained Albertaâs provincial highways, including snow ploughing, were once AUPE members. That was before Premier Ralph Klein contracted out the work in 1996.
AUPE was able to welcome these workers back into the union family when they successfully voted to unionize with Albertaâs largest union in 2015. Carillion workersâ first collective agreement was the final step in the reunion!