A labour dispute that saw Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) members who work for the Town of Ponoka vote to authorize a strike has been settled after workers ratified a new deal.
On Tuesday, the AUPE issued a news release saying its members “voted overwhelmingly” in support of a tentative agreement reached with their employer.
“The new agreement means any potential job action has been avoided,” the union said. “The tentative agreement was reached after negotiations between the union and the employer on July 11, and was approved in a vote of members held Monday in Ponoka.”
According to the AUPE, the deal is a three-year contract that would run from Jan. 1, 2017 to Dec. 1, 2019.
The 64 AUPE members, who perform a variety of duties with the town, voted in favour of strike action last month after the town council walked away from a settlement recommended by a third-party mediator.
READ MORE: AUPE calls on Town of Ponoka to renew negotiations after members vote to authorize strike
“Our goal was always to reach a settlement at the table and we are happy the employer agreed to come back to negotiate a fair agreement for these hard-working members,” said Karen Weiers, the AUPE’s vice-president.
AUPE is Alberta’s largest union and represents over 93,000 workers across the province.
Ponoka is located about 100 kilometres south of Edmonton.