Mobilizing for change in Alberta

Coming on the heels of the union’s first ever National Political Action Conference, UFCW Canada activists in the West recently mobilized to play an impressive role in the 2010 Alberta New Democratic Party (ANDP) Convention, held in Red Deer from Nov. 5 – 7.  

UFCW Canada Local 401 represented the strongest labour contingent at the ANDP Convention, where the 48-member strong delegation proudly wore UFCW Canada gold and elected 3 members to the provincial party’s executive. The three Local 401 activists elected to the ANDP executive are Rick Schneider, ANDP Edmonton Representative; Alex Chevalier, ANDP Calgary Representative, and Bev Waege, who will serve as Co-Chair of the New Democratic Youth of Alberta.

Local 401 also teamed up with the National Office to host a convention booth dedicated to engaging allies and gathering support for UFCW Canada campaigns. In fact, the convention booth was fully wired to the interent and allowed ANDP delegates to stand up for farm worker rights by immediately participating in the End the Harvest of Death! campaign by sending a protest letter to Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach and his Conservative government.

Delegates also made use of the booth’s real-time campaigning ability to send a message to Alberta Finance Minister Ted Morton about his refusal to support changes to Canada Pension Plan that will benefit UFCW Canada members and all working families.

Vol. X No. 48 • December 6, 2010