Solidarity Pact says “an attack on one will be viewed as an attack on all”

EDMONTON – The Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) and over 20 Alberta unions, representing more than 300,000 Alberta workers, have unveiled what they are calling the “Solidarity Pact,” a strategy of collective defence against any attacks on workers by the Government of Alberta, the Government of Canada, municipal governments, school boards, or private sector employers. The Solidarity Pact is intended to remain in force indefinitely.

“The purpose of the Solidarity Pact is to let employers know that an attack on one union will be viewed as an attack on all unions and that Alberta unions will fight together—all for one, and one for all,” said Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour. “Solidarity is our greatest strength.”

Union leaders are concerned that the economic uncertainty caused by Donald Trump’s trade war with Canada will be used by employers as an excuse to put the brakes on negotiating fair wage increases for Alberta workers . Coming together in support of the Solidarity Pact is a demonstration of their refusal to accept such arguments.

“All of us in the Alberta labour movement are on board with a Team Canada approach to responding to Donald Trump’s attacks on our economy and our sovereignty,” said McGowan. “But we will not allow employers and governments to use this moment of crisis as a pretext to put the screws to Canadian workers. If we’re all in this together, then we really have to be all in this together.”

Under the Solidarity Pact, unions commit to support each other in the event of strikes. They also commit to take coordinated action if the provincial or federal governments make moves to strip any workers of their constitutionally protected right to strike or in any other move to undermine or eliminate worker bargaining power.

The unions behind the Solidarity Pact are especially concerned that the current uncertain economic climate could also be used by governments to roll back workers’ rights and by employers to deny pay increases that are long overdue.

As the AFL and economist Dr. Jim Stanford have shown, wages are stagnating in Alberta. In 2013, the province’s average wage was 17% higher than the national average but by 2024 that gap had closed to 1.7%. Since 2019, real hourly wages in Alberta have fallen by a cumulative total of 4.5%. These facts and more are documented in the report, “The Alberta Wage Disadvantage: Evidence on Alberta’s Continuing Suppression of Wages and Salaries.”

“Unions are drawing a line in the sand and refusing to let Alberta workers slide backwards any further,” said McGowan. “The Solidarity Pact is not only about having a strong defense, it’s also about having the strongest possible offense so we can collectively win victories for the over 200,000 Alberta workers that are still at the bargaining table looking for wage increases that keep up with inflation.”

The Solidarity Pact is the product of a new coalition of unions, called the Alberta Common Front, which brings unions affiliated with the AFL together with unions outside the AFL’s umbrella. In addition to the Pact, which is signed by unions, the Common Front is also promoting a Solidarity Pledge for individuals to personally commit to supporting workers and unions as they fight for better deals for all workers.

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MEDIA CONTACT:
Ian Hussey
Director of Research and Political Action, AFL
ihussey@afl.org

Report: The Alberta Wage Disadvantage: Evidence on Alberta’s Continuing Suppression of Wages and Salaries
Common Front Solidarity Pact: Link
Common Front Solidarity Pledge: Link

SIGNATORIES TO THE ALBERTA COMMON FRONT SOLIDARITY PACT:

• Alberta Colleges and Institutes Faculties Association (ACIFA)
• Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL)
• Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA)
• Alberta Union of Nurse Practitioners (AUNP)
• Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE)
• Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Locals 569 and 583
• Athabasca University Faculty Association (AUFA)
• Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union (COPE)
• Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) Locals 710 and 730
• Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE)
• Civic Service Union (CSU) Local 52
• Confederation of Alberta Faculty Associations (CAFA)
• Health Sciences Association Of Alberta (HSAA)
• International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE)
• International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers (IW) Local 720
• International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) Locals 99, 1681, 1722, and 2583
• International Brotherhood of Boilermakers (IBB) Locals 146 and D359
• Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) Local 92
• Mount Royal Staff Association (MRSA)
• Non-Academic Staff Association at the University of Alberta (NASA)
• Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC)
• Unifor
• Union of Needletrades, Industrial, and Textile Employees (UNITE) and Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union (HERE) Local 47
• United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 401
• United Nurses of Alberta (UNA)
• United Steel Workers (USW) District 3