National President David Neufeld visited the RCMP Sylvan Lake Detachment in central Alberta on May 6 with Regional Vice-President (RVP) Valda Behrens to meet with local members and to better understand their current working conditions and provide an update on national campaigns undertaken by USJE.
They met with Deborah Wiens, USJE member of Local 20065 Red Deer RCMP and past president of Local 30010 Edmonton RCMP. Deborah, who is a detachment supervisor in the Detachment, gave David and Valda a tour of the offices where they met with public service employees as well as several municipal employees and regular members.
Members were glad to have the opportunity to share their concerns, which included the lack of initial training for Detachment Services Assistants, an inadequate onboarding process and insufficient staffing during the summer, when they get a large increase in work. Sylvan Lake is a popular tourist town, attracting thousands of visitors every summer.
David and Valda encouraged members to keep engaged with the union and spoke about how important it was to have union representatives who can assist in dealing with local issues. They talked about the work being done in USJE’s campaign to keep the RCMP in Alberta, and the release of the report on Detachment Services Assistants and occupational stress injuries, and USJE’s plans to share the report more broadly.
The visit coincided with a meeting between David, Valda and Deborah, and Alberta Minister of Education Adriana LaGrange (MLA for Red Deer North) to discuss the importance of keeping the RCMP in Alberta.
For more on USJE’s campaign to stop Alberta Premier Jason Kenney’s proposed plan replace the RCMP in Alberta with a provincial police force, see our website AlbertansForRCMP.ca. Albertans can show their support for our RCMP members in Alberta by adding their names to the USJE letter-writing campaign.
USJE members will have an opportunity to hear David speak and ask him questions about the work he has been doing on your behalf at our two National President Virtual Town Halls. Register for the Prairies/ BC session on May 17 or the Ontario/ Quebec/ Atlantic session on May 18.
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