Earlier this week, the Alberta Labour Relations Board published their first new applications report for May 2025. In it was an application alleging unionbusting.
Local 987 of the Teamsters filed the application at the end of April on behalf of workers employed at the Riverwalk Retirement Residence, also known as Mission Retirement Partnership or Verve Senior Living.
The union had been working with workers there to try to unionize this Calgary workplace when, according to the report’s summary, the employer fired 4 workers.
The summary claimed that “that the employer has terminated the employment of four employees who the employer believes supported union activity or being represented by the union”.
Specifically, the application alleges that the employer found that the workers “were involved in or likely involved in Union activity or supported Union activity or supported representation by a trade union or were encouraging others to support representation by a trade union or had signed a petition to support representation by a trade union”.
According the new application report, the union alleges that these actions were done purposefully “to send an intimidating message to the workforce with the object of compelling other employees to refrain from supporting union representation”.
The union claimed in their application that such actions violated sections 148.1.a.i & ii, 149.1.a.8, and 149.1.c of the provincial Labour Relations Code.
148.1.a.i & ii
No employer or employers’ organization and no person acting on behalf of an employer or employers’ organization shall participate in or interfere with the formation or administration of a trade union, or the representation of employees by a trade union.
149.1.a.8
No employer or employers’ organization and no person acting on behalf of an employer or employers’ organization shall refuse to employ or to continue to employ any person or discriminate against any person in regard to employment or any term or condition of employment because the person has exercised any right under this act.
149.1.c
No employer or employers’ organization and no person acting on behalf of an employer or employers’ organization shall seek by intimidation, dismissal, threat of dismissal or any other kind of threat, by the imposition of a pecuniary or other penalty or by any other means, to compel an employee to refrain from becoming or to cease to be a member, officer or representative of a trade union.
Because the ALRB doesn’t archive their new applications reports, I’ve included a copy of this week’s report below.
