A group of over 400 educational support workers will serve a 72-hour strike notice today to their employer, the Parkland School Division.
Union officials say the employees, members of CUPE Local 5543, voted 91 pr cent in favour of job action this week.
CUPE 5543 President Wendy Harman said the union expects to begin ‘work to rule’ actions on Tuesday, Feb. 18. Members will be asked to not work beyond the hours they are paid for, and not to engage in any volunteer activities at their jobs.
The workers join 4,000 striking employees in Edmonton, Sturgeon County and Fort McMurray who are already on strike.
Harman said the action is part of CUPE’s plans to escalate the strike until the Alberta government addresses low wages in the sector. According to union officials, the average educational support worker earns $34,500 in Alberta.
“Many of our members work two to three jobs to earn a living wage.”
Harman says her local faces ‘mandates’ from the provincial government limiting wage increases to less than inflation.
“The impact of the provincial policy of starvation wages on the classroom is staggering,” said Harman. “No one will take the jobs at these wages, it’s hard to replace sick employees, students and education are suffering.”
Harman noted that education funding in Alberta is lower than every other province in Canada.
“It’s a hard decision to vote to strike,” said Harman. “But doing nothing will make a bad situation in classrooms even worse. We’re taking action to protect education.”
Harman says CUPE will give parents and students as much notice as possible.
Almost 2,000 additional school support workers at four other school divisions have taken strike votes but have not yet served notice to strike.
Minister of Education, Demetrios Nicholaidas and Minister of Finance, Nate Horner, provided the following joint statement in response this week.
“CUPE National union with Ontario-based leadership is interfering in what should be local negotiations between school boards and CUPE locals, and in other areas using tactics of fear and intimidation to prevent deals from being signed.”
“In Medicine Hat, following an agreement between the Medicine Hat Public School Division and CUPE local 829, the national leadership of CUPE effectively deregistered the local to prevent a ratification vote. In Sturgeon School Division, the Alberta Labour Relations Board had to issue an injunction to prevent union activists from blocking school buses. In Edmonton, after nurses were contracted to administer insulin and other medications to medically fragile children, CUPE pressured the nursing agency to withdraw service, forcing those students to stay home.”
“This pattern of behaviour is disturbing and shows that education support workers who do not yet have a deal will not be permitted to vote on one, under fear of deregistration by union leaders in Ontario. At the end of the day the antics and disturbing action taken by union leaders in Ontario is causing extremely detrimental effects to learning outcomes for Alberta students.
“Alberta’s government and school boards have shown up to the table to find a path forward, but CUPE National leaders clearly have ulterior motives that are not in the best interests of their members or Alberta students. Alberta’s government calls upon CUPE to allow local bargaining to take place and stop these tactics of fear and intimidation so that kids can be back in school getting the care and education they deserve.”
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