Supreme Court declines to hear appeal in Alberta public sector union case

OTTAWA — The Supreme Court won’t hear a case involving the rights of public-sector workers in Alberta in a labour dispute with that province’s government.

The high court was deciding whether to hear an appeal of a decision made six months ago by the Alberta Court of Appeal on legal action taken by the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees, the province’s largest public-sector union.

The union was challenging legislation passed last summer by Premier Jason Kenney’s government to delay binding arbitration in collective bargaining agreements affecting thousands of workers.

The province passed the law in June, saying it needed the delay to gain a better understanding of the province’s finances.

In July, the union succeeded in getting an injunction that suspended the new law on the grounds it could cause irreparable harm to future collective bargaining.

The government almost immediately appealed and on Sept. 6 the Alberta Court of Appeal, in a split decision, overturned the injunction.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 12, 2020.

The Canadian Press