As Labour Day comes around to mark the various achievements of the workers' rights movement, union leaders around St. Albert and across the province are fighting for new deals.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) made headlines last week when Air Canada flight attendants went on strike from Aug. 16-19, prompting reflection from some other local union leaders around St. Albert and Edmonton.
St. Albert Firefighters still seeking contract
The Local 2130 of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) has been without a contract with the City of St. Albert since 2019, president Greg Harvey said.
The negotiation process went to arbitration in March 2025, and they could be left in the wind another year or two years until the arbitrator finally makes their ruling.
The length of time without a deal is fairly unusual, Harvey said, especially as firefighters in Edmonton were retroactively awarded a five year deal in December 2024, and are currently in the process of negotiating a new agreement.
"Naturally, our members are getting frustrated seeing people in the area starting to bargain contracts," Harvey said. "We're continuously trying to play catch-up to try and have wages that are for the years we're actually working and not catching up to the ones that we've done in the past."
Under the collective agreement that expired in 2019, first-class emergency services personnel in St. Albert are paid an annual salary of around $104,000. The Edmonton Fire Fighters Union collective agreement that expired in 2023, a firefighter in Edmonton is paid around $122,000 per year.
The current agreement that is going through arbitration is more focused around wages, but there are other areas that Harvey feels they have fallen behind on that he hopes can be negotiated into the next contract.
"I know that we've fallen substantially or drastically behind other emergency services unions when it comes to psychological benefits. The ever-changing world has become more difficult. The calls are increasingly very difficult on our members and our psychological benefits have not increased with that," he said. "The members have said loud and clear we need more psychological support for the job that we're doing."
Other union leaders stress bargaining importance
Other union leaders are stressing the importance of their power, especially as negotiations and strike talks in multiple sectors across the province continue.
The Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) is currently bargaining with the province, with negotiations set to take place until Aug. 29. As a potential strike vote looms amidst the start of the school year, ATA President Jason Schilling said he understands the worry that some parents may be feeling.
"There's some concern and uncertainty from parents and students and I understand that. But teachers have taken a serious step towards trying to find a resolution to this, and I hope that they would be supportive of seeing what teachers are trying to do," Schilling said.
He also feels that it highlights the importance of the labour movement.
"We've seen a lot of unrest from workers across the last couple of years in a variety of sectors and that workers are standing up for their rights and trying to make things better not only for themselves, but for the people they serve," he said.
The President of the Local 730 for the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) James Ball held similar views, as negotiations between the union and Canada Post were recently delayed, but are now to resume as of Aug. 27.
"We're starting to see some significant pushback in various sectors, like CUPE, and we saw a lot of pushback from the 3550 here in Edmonton, which is the teacher's assistants. They were on strike for seven weeks. It's becoming unmanageable," Ball said.
"The goal of a union is to make sure that the members get a fair deal," Harvey said.
