Thousands of Alberta workers could go on strike in historic votes

Are you sick of feeling stretched and strained under the affordability crisis?

You’re not alone…

For months, your union has been talking about the growing frustration felt by working Albertans under the affordability crisis. That frustration is now at a boiling point for working families.

Earlier this year, thousands of CUPE educational workers went on strike to demand better from the provincial government. Many of these workers had not seen a substantial wage increase in over a decade.

Now, both Alberta teachers and thousands of AUPE government workers are taking up the same fight in what their unions are describing as historic votes.

With numbers that closely parallel the rejection of Sobeys’ offer by Safeway workers in January, nearly 62% of teachers rejected a mediator’s recommended offer that would have seen a 12% general wage increase over four years, among other contract improvements.

Teachers have cited a failure to address the cost of living, chronic underfunding, and ballooning class sizes for the vote outcome.

Currently in a fourteen-day cooling-off period, Alberta Teachers’ Association President Jason Schilling says that Alberta teachers have sent a clear message that could include job action before the end of the school year.

President Hesse points out that many Safeway workers have reported they cannot afford to shop where they work in Wage Reopener hearings with Arbitrator Mia Norrie in July of 2023.

“Whether you work at Safeway or a school, workers have clearly had enough,” says UFCW Local 401 President Thomas Hesse. “We all deserve to make a decent living for the hard work we do.”

“Know that our union will stand with teachers should they go on strike this year, just as we know that teachers will stand with Safeway workers if they are forced to hit the streets for a fair deal,” adds Hesse.

Teachers aren’t the only workers considering going on strike.

In a recent vote of eight AUPE locals representing government workers, 90% of voting members supported strike action. As CTV reports, this is the first time Alberta public sector workers have had the legal right to strike, after legislation was changed in 2017.

Looming labour unrest is certain to make continued headlines in Alberta given the commitment major unions made to supporting one another in strong negotiations via the Alberta Federation of Labour’s Common Front.

The Common Front initiative is an agreement among participating unions to support one another’s bargaining goals. At the launch of the initiative, AFL President Gil McGowan specifically cited the challenging bargaining facing Safeway workers in Alberta as a source of solidarity for Common Front participants.

Common Front participating unions posing for a group picture.

“As a participant in the Common Front, we know that Alberta’s labour movement is behind our members as they fight for fairness at the bargaining table,” says Secretary Treasurer Richelle Stewart. “That means we will also support teachers and government workers should they wind up on strike because when we stand together, we can win.” 

Posted on: May 14,2025