sentences:  The government began to step up privatization and AUPE's membership shrank that year to 46,000.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.