Teachers, government workers and UFCW 401 members…united in one fight!

A message from UFCW Local 401 President Thomas Hesse and Secretary Treasurer Richelle Stewart

A few short weeks ago, we reached out to share our thoughts on a powerful shift happening across Alberta.

Struggling under an unprecedented affordability crisis, workers are coming together to say: enough is enough.

You can read that update by clicking here.

Today, we want to write to you again, personally, because that moment has grown into a movement as teachers across the province have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action.

While you might not be a teacher, it is important to recognize that we all have a stake in this fight. It is a fight that affects all of us.

It’s the fight to build better workplaces and a better world.

From President Hesse:

My name is Thomas Hesse, and it is my honour to be your President.

My father was a teacher. My sister was a teacher. And today, my son is a teacher. So, I’ve seen what it takes to show up in a classroom every day. The struggles of our members are not all that different from the struggles teachers are facing.

Even when you’re exhausted, under-resourced, and underpaid, you still have to show up and do the job.

I remember the teachers who changed my life, who saw something in me I didn’t yet see in myself. They gave me courage, direction, and hope.
And today, Alberta’s teachers are inspiring me again.

This week, 95% of voting members of the Alberta Teachers’ Association authorized strike action.

That vote is not just a number. That’s more than 36,000 teachers ready to walk off the job to demand what they (and all working people) deserve:

• fair wages,
• reasonable workloads,
• adequate resources,
• and most importantly, respect.

In a world where working harder no longer means getting ahead, teachers are standing up and saying: things have to change.

And when they do, teachers are not just standing up for themselves. They’re standing up for every worker who’s ever been asked to do more with less.
They’re standing up for you.

Let’s do what we can to support teachers in this fight. Let’s let them know they are not alone. Let’s assure them that we have their back and that we will not back down. 

From Secretary Treasurer Stewart:

My name is Richelle Stewart, and I’m proud to serve as your Secretary Treasurer.

Let’s be clear: what’s happening right now in Alberta is unprecedented. Government workers, education workers, health care workers, grocery and food processing workers, hospitality and warehouse workers, workers from all across the province…

We’re all hurting under this affordability crisis. It’s not hitting one sector or one city. It’s hitting everyone.

In May, we witnessed history: over 90% of voting members across eight AUPE government locals said “yes” to strike action. The first time such a vote has happened since Alberta’s public sector workers gained the legal right to strike. That’s tens of thousands of workers: peace officers, caretakers, firefighters, social workers, parks employees taking a bold stand for fairness.

And together, we’re rising up to take action.

As a proud member of the Alberta Federation of Labour’s Common Front, we are committed to coordinating an unheard-of alliance of unions backing each other’s bargaining fights with real, public solidarity.

This isn’t just symbolic. It’s worker power realized.

Your union isn’t some building in Calgary. It isn’t a Rep who visits your lunchroom. It isn’t a leaflet you’re handed or even a conference you attend. Your union is you. It’s you coming together with other Local 401 members to demand better and what you and your family deserve.

And our movement is all workers, regardless of their workplaces or unions, doing the same thing.

And right now, we’re not just watching it happen. We’re helping to make it happen.

When CUPE education workers went on strike earlier this year, we stood with them. We’re standing with ATA,  AUPE, and DHL workers today. And when UFCW Local 401 members have to hit the streets, we know they’ll stand with us.

Because that’s worker power, and a win for one of us is a win for all of us.

Together, we are the Common Front. Together, we are stronger. And together, we will win!

Posted on: June 13,2025