EDMONTON – It may be fun to stay at the YMCA – but working there is another story.
The YMCA of Northern Alberta has removed three long-term employees who just happened to be leading an effort to get other employees to join the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).
The three employees have eight, ten, and twenty-two years of experience working for the employer. Two of them were well qualified for a new position posted one month after the layoff notices were delivered.
CUPE has filed an Unfair Labour Practices Complaint with the Alberta Labour Relations Board, calling for the employees to be given their jobs back and for a declaration that the YMCA is engaging in illegal behaviour.
“The YMCA is union busting,” said Raj Uppal, CUPE Alberta President. “When an employer goes after the union leadership – and only the leadership – it’s to stop the union from succeeding.”
“It’s illegal, and it’s disgraceful.”
CUPE and the YMCA have been requested to provide available dates for pre-hearing meetings between July and December 2026.