CUPE Alberta is currently looking for a full-time van driver for approximately a three-month term to start as soon as possible. This would be a straight book-off from your Employer for the duration of the assignment.

The role involves supporting CUPE Alberta events and engaging with locals, members, and communities across the province on behalf of the Division. It is a great opportunity for members who enjoy travel, event support, and connecting with CUPE members throughout Alberta.

To apply, please complete the following application form:

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/2HUCgXkrVJ

 

CUPE Alberta is hiring a Temporary Full-Time Administration and Support person.

Expected Start Date: June 24, 2026
End Date: December 31, 2026

Click here to view the job description.

Applicants are invited to apply for the position by
May 22, 2026 @ 4:00 PM (MST).

All applications (Resume and Cover Letter) are to be sent directly to the CUPE Alberta Recording Secretary, Kelly Spence, secretary@cupeab.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Calgary, AB – Flight Attendants at WestJet, represented by CUPE 8125, have issued a formal notice of dispute following more than seven months of ongoing negotiations that have not produced sufficient progress on key issues.

CUPE 8125 represents approximately 4,400 cabin personnel at WestJet mainline. Since serving notice to bargain last September, the union and WestJet have met multiple times each month in an effort to reach a new collective agreement.

At the centre of the dispute is a growing gap between the work flight attendants are required to perform and the outdated system that determines how that work is compensated. Flight attendants are responsible for passenger safety from the moment they report for duty, yet significant portions of that time are not fully compensated under the current system. On average, flight attendants work 35 hours every month unpaid.

“Flight attendants are performing increasingly demanding work in a safety-sensitive environment, and we are some of the lowest paid in Canada”, said Alia Hussain, President of CUPE 8125. “The system that governs our compensation was built for a different time, and it no longer reflects the value of work being done today.”

The union is also seeking improvements to scheduling and basic working conditions that support a safe and sustainable operation.

“Flight attendants have remained patient and professional throughout this process, but delays cannot continue,” Hussain added. “We are looking for meaningful progress at the table on issues that affect our members and their ability to provide reliable service for our guests.” 

CUPE 8125 emphasized that its goal is to achieve a negotiated agreement and minimize any impact on travellers.

“We understand how important travel is, particularly as we approach the busy summer season,” said Hussain. “Our focus is on securing a fair and sustainable agreement that reflects the realities of the job and the value of the work being done every day.”

The union is calling on WestJet to engage meaningfully at the bargaining table to address these concerns.

EDMONTON – Unions representing thousands of City of Edmonton workers are warning that any attempt to introduce profits or public-private partnerships into city recreational services will come out of the pockets of Edmontonians using these services.

Sterling Valentine, President of CUPE Local 30, and Bryce Jowett, President of Civic Service Union 52, said a recent discussion in council to consider changes to how the city provides rec centre service could easily lead to increased costs for Edmontonians.

“We’ve been through this over the years in Edmonton and other municipalities across the country,” said Valentine. “Recreation is a vital public service enjoyed by people of all ages and incomes. Introducing private partners puts that at risk by allowing companies to try to squeeze a profit for themselves by raising costs or cutting programs.

Once you factor in profit for private operators, where is the public good?”

“Public recreation facilities are affordable because we want to encourage fitness and health,” said Jowett. “If we were to charge the same rates as private gyms, many Edmontonians would not be able to access our services.”

Valentine said that under a profit-based system, Edmontonians would pay more for swimming lessons, ice skating, pickleball courts, personal trainers and daily access to all facilities.

“There are plenty of GoodLifes and other private gyms around. We need public facilities because there is a need for fitness programs that are accessible to all citizens,” said Jowett.

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Dax Law, CUPE 70 Library Director, spoke to reporters yesterday on how Bill 28 will impact library workers who will have to make sense of the confusing, vague, and problematic legislation.

Bill 28 will require the physical segregation of library materials the government deems “explicit” and will make those materials inaccessible to the public unless they go through library staff.

“Right now, we have no clear understanding of how many items in our collections would be affected,” said Law. “But we do know this will mean that adults would be forced to ask library staff for permission to borrow a book or movie the government has decided is too ‘graphic.’”

Sue Gouw, CUPE 70 President, said, “For workers, this new system would mean constantly being pulled away from essential services like helping patrons and running community programs to act as gatekeepers. That’s not what library staff signed up for.”

Law continued, “We are trained professionals. We have been handling questions about age-appropriate materials for decades without issue. As library staff, our focus is on helping people find the right book, not blocking them from what the government decides is the wrong one.”

Law also touched on a new and troubling element of Bill 28: the potential for library inspections and professional consequences for staff.

“This possibility creates a chilling effect in our workplace,” said Law. “Instead of being able to support intellectual freedom, workers may feel pressure to over-restrict access to avoid complaints or investigations. That’s not good for staff, and it’s not good for the public.”

“We’d like the government to work with library professionals,” said Gouw. “Library staff have decades of experience managing collections responsibly. Instead of imposing top-down rules, the government should trust that expertise and support libraries in continuing to serve their communities.”

Gouw finished, “At its core, Bill 28 is unnecessary, unworkable, and creates more problems than it solves. It increases workload, threatens privacy, and restricts access to information. We are calling on the government to reconsider this legislation and work with library professionals, not around them.”

EDMONTON, AB – Bill 28, the Municipal Affairs and Housing Statutes Amendment Act, is the newest attempt by the UCP to control municipalities and the public services Albertans rely on.

“For a provincial government whose favourite gripe with the federal government is about ‘overreach,’ they sure do love taking control away from municipalities,” said Raj Uppal, CUPE Alberta President.

Bill 28 allows the UCP government to compel “a municipality to transfer ownership or control of a municipal public utility to a public utility entity.”

“We know that privatization always comes hand in hand with higher costs, less oversight, and with outsourcing concerns for workers,” Uppal continued.

“In an environment where we’re seeing a troubling trend of privatization of utilities, the government paving the way to taking control and oversight away from democratically elected municipal officials raises a major concern for all municipal workers, elected officials, and residents.”

“Maybe Danielle Smith should take her own advice and ‘stay in her lane.’”

EDMONTON, AB – CUPE Alberta is raising serious concerns about new legislation introduced today that will require the physical segregation of certain public library materials and mandate parental permission for youth under 16 to borrow them.

Bill 28 would apply to public libraries across the province, and would restrict citizens’ access even to materials aimed at adults. According to Minister of Public Affairs Dan Williams, books his government deems too “graphic” will be required to be placed “behind a counter.”

CUPE Alberta President Raj Uppal says the legislation is ill-conceived and ignores the realities facing public libraries across the province.

“Clearly, this is another instance of the government creating unnecessary legislation with no thought as to how it would be implemented,” said Uppal. “Public libraries are already stretched thin, and this bill downloads significant new responsibilities onto library workers without any plan or support.”

The legislation comes with no additional funding, despite the expectation that libraries will likely need to undertake costly renovations and hire additional staff to comply with the new requirements. This could include building new, patron-inaccessible areas to store materials and the creation of an identification verification process.

“We would prefer if the government focused on solving real problems facing Albertans, rather than chasing social media outrage and conspiracy-driven policy ideas,” Uppal added.

CUPE Alberta emphasized that library workers are trained professionals who are already well-equipped to support their communities and manage access to materials appropriately.

“CUPE library staff are capable of addressing concerns as they arise,” said Uppal. “They do not need heavy-handed direction from this government to do their jobs.”

The bill also introduces government-appointed library inspectors, who will have the authority to investigate libraries based on a single complaint, raising further concerns about overreach and the potential for politically motivated enforcement.

“Instead of supporting public libraries as vital community spaces, this government is undermining them with vague rules and intrusive oversight,” said Uppal. “Albertans deserve better.”

Calgary, AB – CUPE 8125, representing approximately 360 WestJet Encore cabin crew members, has officially served Notice to Bargain a new Collective Agreement.

“We’re seeking an end to unpaid work, to resolve ongoing scheduling issues, and better wages for our members,” said Jennifer Wielohorski-Kuhnert, WestJet Encore Unit Vice President. “It comes down to this: flight attendants deserve to be paid for every hour on the job.”

CUPE 8125 President Alia Hussain emphasized that this round of bargaining comes at a time when cabin crew across the WestJet Group are pushing for meaningful change.

“WestJet mainline flight attendants have been in bargaining since September 2025, raising many of the same core issues of unpaid work, scheduling, and fair compensation,” said Hussain. “Encore flight attendants are now joining that push to ensure that all cabin crew across the company are treated fairly and compensated for the full scope of their work.”

Hussain added, “We look forward to bargaining a collective agreement that reflects the value of the work our cabin safety professionals perform every day. Our members keep passengers safe, manage emergencies, and deliver frontline service, and yet too much of their time remains unpaid.”

“Our message to WestJet is clear and consistent across the group,” said Hussain. “Pay us fairly. Pay us for all our time.”

The following delegates were elected: 

POSITION	NAME	LOCAL
Secretary-Treasurer	Amy Bernier	3550
General Vice President (North)	Deborah Schaan	417
Diversity Vice President	Abbie Mitchell	40
Area Vice Presidents:
Calgary	Cherise Stock	38
Fort McMurray	Danielle Danis	2559
North West	Janet Riopel	1661
Edmonton	Shelly Lavallee	3550
Red Deer	Brenda Reid	4733
Lethbridge	Joanne Lavkulich	1825
Medicine Hat	Angela Costley	1032
Alternate Area Vice Presidents:
Calgary	Clay Gordon	40
North West	Sandra Fischbuck	1661
Edmonton	Ryan Lauder	784
Trustee – 2 year	Bella Miguel	8
Trustee – 3 year	Wael Elrafih	4731

Alberta NDP leader Naheed Nenshi and five of his MLAs visited the CUPE Alberta convention. In his remarks, promising that if the NDP is elected, education funding will go from worst in the country to first.  

“We are going to take back Alberta,” said Nenshi.  “We will fix health care, go from having the worst funded to best funded education system in the country.” 

We will have a government that respects municipal government, respects people, and respects public services.” 

Nenshi praised CUPE Alberta’s “Health Care Crisis” campaign, calling it “one of the most effective things I’ve ever seen,” saying it is bringing out thousands of stories and that it is ‘helping to bring this government down.”