AUPE hopes Coaldale lockout will end soon

By Lethbridge Herald on October 8, 2025.

Nathan Reiter
Lethbridge Herald
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) is hoping it’s one step closer to ending the lockout with the Town of Coaldale.

On Oct. 2, AUPE submitted a proposal for a new contract to the Town of Coaldale. AUPE members have been locked out by the town since Sept. 6. 

As of Monday afternoon, the union had not received any response from the town. In an interview with the Herald, AUPE vice-president Curtis Jackson said the union is hopeful that the offer will be a step towards ending the lockout. 

“We feel that this proposal reflects the needs of our members while respecting the employer’s last position. We’re trying to find a win-win. While we haven’t been formally invited back to the bargaining table, we’re taking this step as requested by the town to communicate what our position is. We are waiting for a response from the town. We have heard nothing, but we do know that the council was meeting last night (Monday) and had a closed session. We don’t have confirmation that they were talking about the proposal we had sent in, but it’s our hope that the council uses the proposal as a way forward and a way to get these workers back to work.”

Specific terms of AUPE’s proposal were not disclosed to the media. 

“We’re not sharing the details of that right now,” Jackson explained. “I can tell you that it absolutely seeks to find some middle ground between the employer’s last offer and our last offer. We want to do our bargaining with the town and not in the media.”

With advance voting for the Alberta general municipal election underway, Jackson says he is hoping that the labour dispute will be solved before polls close on Oct. 20. 

“It’s absolutely important for this council to follow through on the business that they have with AUPE and to conclude it prior to an election.”

The Town of Coaldale has approximately 43 permanent staff that are AUPE members.