Edmonton’s Educational Backbone: Support Staff from CUPE Issue Strike Notice for Public Schools

The union representing support staff for Edmonton Public Schools and the Sturgeon Public School Division has expressed that employees in both sectors intend to issue strike notification on Thursday and may commence job action as early as Monday.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees made the announcement in a press release distributed Thursday morning.

“Some support personnel have endured 10 years without a cost-of-living increase,” stated Mandy Lamoureux, the president of CUPE 3550, which represents 3,000 educational support workers at the EPSB. “Numerous members hold two to three jobs just to achieve a living wage.”

Last month, CUPE 3550 members opted to refuse a salary increase proposal from the dispute inquiry board, which the union argued represented a mere 2.75 percent increment over four years.

Lamoureux asserted that the typical educational support worker in Alberta receives an annual income of $34,500.

In October, the Alberta government instructed the EPSB and CUPE 3550 to engage with a dispute inquiry board as their labor disagreement persists, prompting a protest outside the Alberta legislature to criticize this action.

Due to this directive, employees were not permitted to strike for a minimum of 30 days.

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Edmonton Public Schools support staff walk out on same day strike was set to begin

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“Individuals are resigning, no one is willing to accept the jobs at these salaries, and both students and education are deteriorating,” Lamoureux mentioned.

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Kelly Salisbury, the president of CUPE 4625, stated it was a “challenging decision to vote for a strike.”

“However, remaining inactive will exacerbate an already detrimental situation for students in the long term,” Salisbury continued. “We must take measures now to safeguard education in Alberta.”

“We are attempting to provide parents with as much notification as feasible,” Lamoureux said. “We recognize we are placing them in a difficult circumstance, but we believe we have waited long enough and must act for the long-term welfare of the students we care for deeply.”

Global News has contacted the EPSB and Sturgeon Public School Division for a response regarding CUPE’s announcement.

On Tuesday, support personnel at Fort McMurray’s public and Catholic schools commencedstrike. They had already been participating in rotating strikes since November.

The Catholic and public educational divisions in Fort McMurray announced that their early childhood development initiatives are suspended and that both acknowledge the right to strike.

In a release concerning the Fort McMurray strike on Tuesday, Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides stated that the proposed increases are suitable for this round of negotiations.

“It appears unreasonable that the union is asking for more,” he remarked, noting these employees surpass the Western Canadian average.

“We remain optimistic that the union will prioritize students and families by returning to the negotiating table and striving for an agreement that is equitable and sensible.”

–with contributions from The Canadian Press

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CUPE cautions of additional school support worker strikes in Alberta

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