The President of CUPE 3550 (Edmonton Public Schools support staff) is applauding a decision by the Alberta Labour Relations Board declaring Alberta’s Labour Code unconstitutional.
In its decision last week, the board found that the Code’s failure to institute what is commonly known as the ‘Rand Formula’ infringed on the union’s ability to engage in collective bargaining. The ‘Rand Formula’ is the rule that states all employees in a unionized workforce must pay union dues, whether they belong to the union or not. The union, in turn, must represent all employees regardless of their membership status.
The Labour Board was ruling on the bargaining position taken by Old Dutch Foods in its current strike with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union.
“The Labour Board has taken a rare position which upholds the few rights working people have in this province,” said CUPE 3550 President Trudy Grebenstein. “Without the Rand Formula, Alberta is little better than Texas or Louisiana in terms of the ability for workers to get a good contract.”