Town of Coaldale breached Labour Relations Code, says Alberta Labour Relations Board

Posted on October 30, 2025 by Sunny South News

By Kristine Jean
Sunny South News

An end to the long-standing Town of Coaldale lockout may soon be in sight.

In a virtual hearing on Oct. 21, the Alberta Labour Relations Board (ALRB) ruled in favour of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE), following an unfair labour practice complaint they made earlier this month, regarding the Town of Coaldale’s behaviour in their collective bargaining efforts.   

The Alberta Labour Relations Board found the Town of Coaldale was in breach of the Labour Relations Code, specifically section 60, which requires both parties to meet, act in good faith and make every reasonable effort to enter into a collective agreement. 

On Oct. 10, employees with the Town of Coaldale, represented by AUPE, filed an unfair labour practice complaint against the town due to an apparent refusal to return to the bargaining table in a timely manner. 

“The board directed a hearing to be held, only in relation to AUPE’s complaint, that the town had not discharged its duty to bargain in good faith and meet, and make every effort to enter into a collective agreement,” said AUPE legal counsel Pat Nugent, on Saturday.  

Nugent noted the urgency with which the board held the hearing and made a quick decision on the matter the same day – something that is not often done.

“Obviously, there was some urgency here because AUPE was trying to get the town directed to come back to the bargaining table,” said Nugent. “The board can often take months and months before it issues a written reason so that obviously wouldn’t achieve anything constructive in this circumstance.” 

The board issued what is called a “bottom-line decision” in the hearing, explained Nugent, which outlines what the board found, that there was a breach and stated what they were directing the town to do. 

On Oct. 1 AUPE presented a new proposal to the Town of Coaldale, with the intention of resolving bargaining and ending the lockout. 

“This lockout has put immense pressure on the community and our members,” said AUPE Vice-President Curtis Jackson, in a media release. “Our members just want to do their jobs and help their fellow Coaldale residents, but they also deserve a fair contract that reflects the essential work they do.” 

In a follow-up media release on Oct. 14, AUPE noted the town’s reasoning for delaying bargaining was due to staff vacations and the municipal election, held on Oct. 20. The town offered to meet with the AUPE negotiating team on Nov. 17 and 18. 

“The board found the town to have breached its obligation under the Labour Relations Code, to make every reasonable effort to enter into a collective agreement because it didn’t provide early dates to have those discussions,” explained Nugent, adding as part of its decision, the board directed the Town of Coaldale to meet with the union on or before Oct. 29, to discuss the union’s Oct. 1 counter-proposal. “The board also said the employer must provide a spokesperson with authority to engage in meaningful bargaining with the union regarding the Oct. 1 counter-proposal.” 

Nugent emphasized that the town is not able to “just go through the motions of having a meeting with the union” with no one having any authority to actually make a deal. Town of Coaldale CAO Kalen Hastings has been the town’s chief negotiator with the union and was scheduled to be away between Oct. 2-28.  

In the coming months, the Alberta Labour Relations Board is expected to release more comprehensive written reasons, that the involved parties will received, noted Nugent, adding it will be posted to their website, at which point “everyone will have a better understanding of exactly what the board was concerned with about the town’s behaviour,” he said. 

Nugent added that it’s not common that a party is found in breach and “they haven’t upheld their obligation to bargain in good faith” because parties generally do meet and have discussions.

“They may not agree on where those discussions should go but at least in terms of the process that they follow – they follow a process and they have meetings and they act in good faith,” explained Nugent. “Here, the problem was that the town was not providing dates that it could have these discussions on, especially during a lockout, it’s a particularly sensitive time for any party (in) a dispute …. any party in those circumstances would be expected to have someone available immediately, to engage in renewed bargaining,” said Nugent. 

If the Town of Coaldale does not agree to the board’s directive, AUPE would then ask the board to file its directive in court and the directive would become enforceable the same way as a court-order is enforceable, said Nugent.  

“So the town would be in contempt of a court order, if it continued to refuse to have someone available by Oct. 29 to engage in meaningful bargaining with the AUPE.”  

The Town of Coaldale did not reply to the Sunny South News request for comment by press time, however, Mayor-elect Jack Van Rijn told the News on Saturday that there would be a union discussion in a closed session as part of the regular council meeting on Monday, Oct. 27, following the town’s organizational meeting.