More than 4,000 support staff employees with Edmonton Public Schools could be off the job in the coming weeks.
Mandy Lamoureux with the Canadian Union of Provincial Employees (CUPE) said workers are now in a two-week cooling-off period after mediation was unsuccessful. Workers from CUPE Local 3550, which represents education support staff, and CUPE Local 474, which represents custodial support staff, are seeking a new contract.
“We’ve been in negotiations now for the last four years and talks have broken down at the bargaining table,” said Lamoureux, who is the president of CUPE Local 3550.
“We are currently in our 14-day cooling-off period, which would be ending on Oct. 15. So any time after Oct. 15 we could hold a strike vote.”
CUPE Local 3550 represents about 3,200 educational support staff including education assistants, administrative assistants and librarians.
Lamoureux said the current average salary of an education assistant ranges from about $27,000 to $30,000. Lamoureux said members are seeking wages that align with the cost of living.
“Our members are experiencing some difficult times right now. … Where this income was sustainable 12 years ago, it’s not sustainable now,” she said. “Many of our members are visiting food banks, having to hold a second, sometimes third job. So they’re finding it difficult.
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“The number one thing our members are saying right now is that they can’t afford to strike, but they can’t afford not to.”
In a statement, the managing director of communications with Edmonton Public Schools said the school division is still working very hard to reach an agreement with CUPE 3550 and CUPE 474.
“While we do not comment about ongoing negotiations, we remain committed to working collaboratively with both CUPE 3550 and 474 to reach an agreement,” Carrie Rosa said in a statement.
Lamoureux said members are also concerned about employee burnout and a lack of staff.
“The schools are not being funded the way they need to so there is a shortage of staff right now and they’re taking on that burden. They’re finding it difficult to offer the high-quality service to the students that they deserve. It’s really difficult for them.”
In a brief statement, Alberta’s Ministry of Treasury Board and Finance said the CUPE negotiates directly with school boards and that the Alberta government is not involved.
Earlier this year, Premier Danielle Smith announced $8.6 billion in funding over the next three years through a new School Construction Accelerator Program.
Starting in budget 2025, the province said the program will kick-start construction of 30 new schools and upwards of eight modernizations or replacement schools every year for the next three years. The goal is to create 200,000 new student spaces across Alberta over the next seven years to keep up with enrolment pressure.
The funding is for infrastructure and doesn’t outline any additional money to hire teachers or other support staff.
Smith said in September that her government announced operational funding over the summer to help boards manage growth pressures this school year.
“We are working now on identifying if we need to modify our funding model,” Smith said. “There will be more to say in the upcoming budget, which will be delivered in February.”
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