46,000. The Dark Decade — 1987 to 1996 The years 1987 to 1996 were a challenging decade for AUPE — with layoffs and privatization taking place under the provincial government led by Premier Ralph Klein. In 1987, Wocknitz met with Lougheed's replacement, Premier Don Getty, to negotiate an early retirement incentive program that would combine voluntary job sharing, voluntary extended leave, and re-employment counseling. That year, AUPE filed more than 1,000 grievances, setting the tone for the period. AUPE organized aggressively to make up for membership losses in the government, but bargaining became harder than ever and gains were marginal. As cutbacks continued through 1988, membership dipped further and revenues sagged. By 1989, privatization and deregulation were in full swing and the government was floating trial balloons about privatization of some of its most important human services. Membership continued to decline, mainly through cuts to the government service, and AUPE faced substantial debt, reduced revenues and crippling building costs. When bargaining stalled in 1990 and government pressed ahead with its divestment of people services, social workers in Local 006 led a 22-day strike over workload and staffing. Subsequently, correctional officers in Local 003 held a seven-day strike over pensions and early retirement, which they won. General support services employees in Local 054 also held a one-day strike at the University of Alberta Hospital. For its members, AUPE existed as a defender of public services. In 1992, however, the union found itself in the midst of a Progressive Conservative leadership campaign alive with promises of further privatization and downsizing. Negotiations that year yielded an average pay increase of two per cent. Public sentiment at the time was that public debt was a major problem, leading many Albertans to accept financial cuts in public sector compensation. The result came under the planning of Premier Ralph Klein, along with Vermilion veterinarian and MLA Stephen West, a provincial cabinet minister. Funding for government services was cut 20 per cent across the board. AUPE lost more than 3,000 more members in one year, many in the U.S.-style privatization of liquor stores. In addition, many members were reorganized into boards and agencies, requiring a restructuring of the union. And more than 8,500 hospital workers faced regionalization, whereby health agencies had responsibility over their individual regions, while budgeting was still centrally-planned at the provincial level. In the spring of 1993, Foothills Hospital workers in Calgary accepted a