Today’s notice means the lockout will officially come into effect on Saturday, September 6th at 4:00pm MST.
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On Wednesday, September 3rd, the Town of Coaldale served a 72-hour lockout notice to its unionized municipal employees.
A lockout is the employer’s equivalent of a strike. It is a legal work stoppage in which the employer (in this case, the Town) withholds work and pay from unionized employees during a labour dispute. Under provincial legislation, a lockout may only be implemented after a mandatory mediation and cooling-off period of 14 days has ended, and once 72 hours’ notice has been given. Today’s notice means the lockout will officially come into effect on Saturday, September 6th at 4:00pm MST.
The Town’s decision comes after nearly a year of bargaining with the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE), two days of formal mediation, multiple revised offers, and most recently, a Labour Board–supervised vote in which unionized staff rejected the Town’s final offer. That offer included annual general wage increases of 2.5%, 2.75%, 2.75% and 3%, along with market adjustments to base pay—together amounting an average general wage increase of 17% over four years. On top of that, the package also included a full suite of benefits and allowances, making the overall offer even more generous—especially when compared to the stagnant or modest wage growth experienced by most private-sector workers and business owners in Coaldale. To view exactly what unionized staff turned down, click here.
“As a Council, our goal is to protect the interests of the taxpayers who fund municipal operations and to demonstrate that we can operate effectively and efficiently without agreeing to unsustainable and entitled demands,” said Town of Coaldale Mayor, Jack Van Rijn. “At the end of the day, our Council is unwilling to pay unionized staff even more than what was already offered – which is already well above what the private sector currently pays for comparable labour. Unfortunately, AUPE called the Town’s final offer ‘insultingly bad,’ and continues to publish press releases rife with misinformation. Serving lockout notice is not a decision we as a Council take lightly, but it is a necessary step to protect the financial sustainability of our municipality and the taxpayers who fund it. After a year of negotiations with AUPE, it is time for us, as the leaders of this organization, to move forward.”
Despite the lockout, residents can expect Town operations and service levels to continue without interruption. The Town has put contingency plans in place to ensure that all essential municipal services remain fully operational, and staff and contracted service providers are committed to maintaining the high standard of service that the community depends on.
“Coaldale residents can rest assured – we have contingency plans in place so none of this will impact service delivery or Town programming,” said Mayor Van Rijn. “For however long this goes on, your garbage will be picked up, your calls will be answered, the Arena and Rec Centre will remain open, and community events will proceed as planned.”