EDMONTON – The union that represents most Registered Nurses working in Alberta has taken the first step towards joining the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL).

More than two-thirds of the delegates attending the annual general meeting of the United Nurses of Alberta (UNA) voted to support a resolution to affiliate with the AFL and Alberta’s eight District Labour Councils.

The resolution must now be endorsed by both a majority of UNA’s 20,000 members and a majority of the union’s 167 locals. A membership vote on the issue has been set for early in the New Year.

"Obviously we’re very pleased by results of this vote. And we’re excited to welcome the nurses into the House of Labour," says AFL President Les Steel, who attended the UNA AGM in Edmonton as an observer.

If UNA members and locals endorse the decision, the nurses will become one of the largest unions within the Federation.

"UNA has a history of commitment to working people," says Steel. "By virtue of their size and strength I am confident they will help make the Federation a real force to reckoned with in this province."

The ratification vote will be preceded by a number of regional meetings in December at which Steel and other AFL spokespeople will address rank-and-file nurses and answer any questions they might have about the Federation.

Steel says his message at the regional meetings will be the same as the message put forward by UNA members who supported the affiliation motion at the AGM – namely that unions are stronger when they stand together.

"Now more than ever in Alberta, we need a strong voice for working people. We need a strong voice for public health care and to make sure that the rights of workers in the workplace are respected," says Steel.

"By working together under the umbrella of the AFL, UNA and other unions in this province can more effectively defend and promote the interests of working Albertans."

The AFL is currently made up of 31 unions from both the public and private sectors representing about 100,000 working people. The AFL’s membership would jump to nearly 120,000 if UNA members ratify the decision to affiliate.