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At the centre of the dispute is a growing gap between the work flight attendants are required to perform and the outdated system that determines how that work is compensated.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: 

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.”

CUPE will put $500,000 into a campaign to punish the Danielle Smith government for using the notwithstanding clause against workers and others. 

Secretary Treasurer Candace Rennick made the announcement at CUPE Alberta’s convention. Rennick said the union decided to contribute to a campaign with the Canadian Labour Congress.  

“Danielle Smith used the notwithstanding clause against Alberta teachers to end their strike and trample their constitutional rights. And there is no doubt that she will use it again,” said Rennick. “But there must be consequences for stepping on fundamental rights. Consequences on the streets, and most importantly, consequences at the ballot box.” 

Rennick said governments that weaken public services, who roll back rights, and who try to divide workers can be defeated, but only if CUPE is ‘all in.’ 

“Every local, every sector, must step up. Every local must engage every member, every day. And the national union must not only be there to lead and support – it must coordinate, strategize, and stand shoulder to shoulder with every local to ensure no one is left behind.” 

Rennick noted that CUPE added 8.5 new permanent positions in Alberta over the last five years, compared to just five new positions in the previous ten years.  

“These investments ensure that locals, sectors, and members have resources, support, and leadership to organize, campaign, and defend public services.”

Reaching into labour history to find lessons for today, CUPE President Mark Hancock told delegates that unions have faced difficult times before and come out stronger for it. 

“Some of the greatest achievements that organized labour has ever won came during moments of turmoil – just like the one we find ourselves in right now,” said Hancock.  

Hancock pointed to battles after the first and second world wars when unions didn’t have the legal recognition they have today, but still won bargaining rights, the Rand formula, pensions, health care, and basic health and safety standards. 

“It wasn’t easy,” said Hancock. “So many leaders and activists before us were fired, jailed, assaulted, even murdered.” 

Hancock noted that in the last year alone, both the federal and Alberta governments took multiple actions to rob workers of rights we’ve enjoyed for decades. 

“Mark Carney didn’t hesitate to shred our members’ Charter rights during the Air Canada strike last summer. And he won’t lift a finger to defend public health care and our public services while they’re under attack right here in Alberta as we speak.” 

“The UCP is busy pushing dangerous schemes that nobody asked for and nobody wants, like pulling Alberta out of the CPP and playing footsy with Maple MAGA Trump wannabes who want to split our country apart.” 

Hancock said that being a trade unionist in a time of ‘right-wing lunatics’ means acknowledging the challenge and never giving up ‘on the fight for a better future.’ 

Referring to the safety of workers as “not optional,” Hancock noted that the death of CUPE member Deborah Onwu in 2019 led to four judicial recommendations that the UCP government has still not acted on. 

“We owe it to people like Deborah Onwu and her friends and family – and far too many others who have lost loved ones because of violence in our workplaces,” said Hancock, “We owe it to them to fight like hell.” 

Hancock ended with an appeal to delegates to not be fooled by Danielle Smith’s attempts to divide workers with ‘non-stop culture wars and manufactured outrage.’ 

“When governments fail to solve real problems that they’re responsible for creating – they start looking for somebody else to pin the blame on. Blaming newcomers and other vulnerable folks just lets her off the hook.”