War? What war?

Yesterday, we wrote about how the documents for AUPE's 38th annual convention mentions SAIL repeatedly.

There was something else written by VP Glen Scott that had a lot of us rather shocked.  It's on page 25 of their document, right after he talks about SAIL.

As most of us will agree the last 12 months have flown by and time does not stop, so I would like to make a few comments on some of the things I and the rest of us will be looking at in the next year. I am very proud of the way our organization has responded to the challenges we have faced.

 Okay, that part actually had us shocked in an amused way.  Based on what we've been seeing, AUPE has little to be proud of, and their tactics in responding to challenges seem to involve a lot of aggression, bullying and, if all else fails, the filing of vexatious litigation.

I am also aware that while it’s great to pat ourselves on the back, we can do this knowing that the public agrees with us on many of the issues we have taken on.

Do, they, now?

I have attended several focus groups and AUPE-run polls

AUPE run polls?

Somehow, I don't expect an AUPE run poll to be trustworthy.  How about a poll run by an independent polling company, instead?  I'd really love to know what the poll questions where, and what demographic was included in these polls.

on a regular basis and the facts – not opinions but facts –

Uh, huh.

In my personal experience, when someone has to go out of their way to say their position is based on facts, not opinions, the opposite it usually the truth.

By the way, isn't the whole point of focus groups and polls is that they measure people's opinions?

show we are not only winning the ground war when we are attacked,

Wait... ground war?

we are winning the air war

... air war?

What the heck?

Is that how AUPE really views things?  That this is all a war?

Do they believe that anyone who doesn't do what they want - whether it's a tiny non-profit like SAIL, or a large charity organization like Shepherd's Care - is attacking them?

with all Albertans.

So... they are at war with ALL Albertans?

And they think they're winning?

What is this war?

What do they think they are winning?

We need to continue to do this and remind legislators that we are not the enemy

Hey, I don't recall anyone else using war-talk like this, so if anyone is thinking along the lines of "enemy", I don't think it's our legislatures.

but friends with average Albertans.

You mean like the people living in Artspace that have been deliberately targeted by AUPE picketers, even though we have nothing to do with the labour dispute?

Those average Albertans?  Or do we not count?

If this war mentality is really AUPE's worldview, than that would explain why they have been so aggressive here at Artspace, right from the start; why they were working on their "bad faith" complaint before the strike even started, or why they were telling the SAIL staff they would be going into a strike right from the day they voted to join AUPE.

It's one thing to feel like being in the middle of a battle - many Artspace members do - but quite another for an AUPE executive to openly admit that they are engaging in a war - both a ground war and an air war - against Albertans, while at the same time claiming to be their friends.

What is this war AUPE is waging, Glen?

And why is it being waged against Artspace members?  Because no one here attacked AUPE.  It was AUPE that chose to attack us.