Bill 32 Election Day: Say YES to Solidarity

Friday September 27th 2024, all members of HSAA will receive a ballot in their email asking them to opt in to dues for non core activities.

This a requirement since Bill 32 was passed by the UCP in 2020.

I have posted my youtube video below on the topic. Please give it a watch if you do not know about Bill 32.

The main takeaway points are that non core activities are an important part of our union. It helps us support pro labour causes that advance our interests and also helps us contribute to our communities through financial donations to charities and non profits. At the end of the day, our union is a democratic organization that belongs to us, the workers. No government should have any say on what our union spends money on. It's an egregious example of government over reach and is a direct attack on our agency as organized workers. Bill 32 claims to be "restoring balance" in the workplace but what it's actually doing is taking power away from unions to weaken the position of workers and create a power imbalance in favor of employers.

Bill 32 by design will have members automatically opt out unless they vote to opt in. Those members who opt out will save around $50 per year and realistically those members will save even less because those $50 in union dues savings are tax deductible. This is a small amount on an individual level but adds up fast when you consider that our union has over 30,000 members.

Please join myself and the other members of our LUE and vote to opt in this year. Specific examples of what the non core dues support include:

- Dues to the Alberta Federation of Labour and Canadian Labour Congress

- Support for organizations like the Parkland Institute (who completed the report "Lights and Sirens: The critical condition of EMS in Alberta"

- Donations to food banks and women's shelters

- and many more

I'm happy to answer any questions that you may have.

More info is also available @ our Bill 32 Page