Staff at Points West Living Drayton Valley have joined the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) to fight for fairness at their workplace, say union officials.
Officials say points West Living Drayton Valley is a seniors care centre that includes independent and designated supportive living for residents. Approximately 50 staff members, who work in nursing care and support services, are the latest front-line health care workers to join AUPE, a trend officials say accelerated after the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Bonnie Gostola, AUPE Vice-President and Chair of the union’s Occupational Health and Safety Committee says, “Working conditions in care centres are more stressful and, frankly, dangerous now than they used to be. COVID-19 transmission is still a very real risk at these facilities, and issues like short-staffing compound the chaos.”
Officials say joining AUPE means these workers will soon have a collective agreement that aims to provide more stability and job security.
“Unionizing is just the first step,” says Gostola. “These AUPE members will now work towards their first collective agreement, which will form a new foundation for improved wages, safety, and rights at work. Better working conditions make for better care conditions. The staff at Points West Living Drayton Valley have taken the first steps to make life better for themselves and the Albertans who rely on them.”
AUPE is described as western Canada’s largest union, standing 98,000 members strong.
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