Submitted
The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees welcomed approximately 80 nursing staff at the Bethany Care Society seniors’ community in Sylvan Lake to the growing list of seniors care employees represented by AUPE.
The new members joined AUPE on Sept. 8 following a worksite vote.
“Our numbers keep growing as more and more Bethany employees are insisting their employer listens to front line health workers,” said AUPE Vice President Carrie-Lynn Rusznak. “Bethany Care Society is one of western Canada’s largest seniors care providers, but their compensation and working conditions are not on par with industry standards.”
AUPE already represents approximately 900 Bethany staff at the five other continuing care centres operated by the society in central and southern Alberta. Bargaining for new collective agreements at the other sites began in June. The new AUPE members at the Sylvan Lake site will now join those negotiations.
“Our goal is to negotiate a standardized collective agreement that recognizes that Bethany employees are not worth less,” said Rusznak.
Bethany Sylvan Lake provides services for persons with complex health needs who are unable to remain at home in a continuing care centre in Sylvan Lake, approximately 20 km east of Red Deer.
AUPE is Alberta’s largest union, with nearly 85,000 members. AUPE represents more than 47,000 Albertans who work in public, not-for-profit, and private health care across the province.