Statement of Support for Alberta Strikers

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers stands in solidarity with striking healthcare workers and against the anti-labour government of Jason Kenney and its bid to deeply slash jobs, erode working conditions, and trample union rights. In the midst of the worst pandemic in a century, health workers have tirelessly provided the care needed to the Alberta population. The Kenney government’s plans to eliminate 11,000 unionized healthcare positions, outsourcing them to the private sector, will have the opposite effect, leaving Albertans more vulnerable, and crippling an already fragile economy.

The current situation in Alberta is reminiscent of Ralph Klein’s “deficit reduction crusade”. The healthcare workers’ answer then was swift. They went on strike with the support of the community, and Klein was forced to back down from imposing cuts to healthcare.

Governments seldom listen to reason, but they do understand power. If Jason Kenney and the United Conservative Party don't back down from the proposed cuts to health care and other public services, workers across the province may decide to join in the strike to make sure that healthcare and public service job cuts don’t happen.

CUPW calls on the labour movement to stand firm against neoliberal bullying and anti-union governments and continue to mount a robust and coordinated response in the face of such threats.

CUPW calls on its members to exercise a heightened awareness in delivering mail to facilities where workers have a picket line, and to support the strikers by visiting their picket lines wherever possible to show CUPW solidarity.