Year: 2009
Location: Pincher Creek
Profile:
Myrna Wright worked as a nursing aide in Pincher Creek for over 40 years, mostly working on nightshifts. Her first Pincher Creek association meeting was in March, 1967. She went on to serve as treasurer, chair, and negotiating team member. She felt driven to stand up for fair treatment, with no patience for bullies.
For Wright, justice and equity were crucial. After being denied vacation after a full year of work, Wright took a closer look at her working situation and discovered that the nursing pay had been incorrect. She was able to correct that and get retroactive pay. The Pincher Creek site joined the Alberta Certified Nursing Aides Association, and in 1999 was certified as a union local within AUPE.
Wright became accustomed to hard fights, sitting long hours and dealing with disingenuous people. She also used her skills in the broader community. In the mid- 1990s, she battled the Energy and Utilities Board (EUB) against a pipeline and also worked with the Family Community Support System to help provide funds to people in need. Wright’s son learned much from his mother’s work and brought in a union for fellow workers at United Airlines.
Keywords: Alberta Certified Nursing Aides Association; Alberta Hospital Association; Calgary School of Nursing; Energy and Utilities Board; Family Community Support System; Nursing aide; Pincher Creek.
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See also: Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE); Women and Work in Alberta