Support staff with the Foothills School Division have been on strike since Feb. 24 and while workers hit the picket lines, many of the children they support aren’t able to attend school.
Jamie Hanson’s 11-year-old son hasn’t been to class since the job action began.
Despite the disruption, Hanson and her son Cale showed support on the picket line in High River on Friday and demanding a living wage for the support workers they says are crucial to Cale’s success in school.
“I’m not able to be on the picket lines the full amount of time because of my other job, but I think it’s important for him to understand what we are doing and support the people who support him,” said Hanson.
Many support staffers such as educational assistants have second, and in some cases third jobs, in order to make ends’ meet. According to the Canadian Union of Provincial Employees, the average EA make between $31,000 and $43,000 a year — barely above minimum wage.
That income has been the big sticking point at bargaining tables in Fort McMurray, Edmonton, Calgary, and communities in-between.
As a result, 280 workers from Foothills School Division are involved in the job action. They’re amongst the 6,600 CUPE education workers across the province who are fighting for better working conditions and wages.
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That includes educational assistants, career technology instructors, youth development coaches, custodial workers and office administrators.
Carla Penhalagan is the President of CUPE Local 5040, and an educational assistant, and said EA’s haven’t had a raise in a decade.
Penhalagan said while contracts are negotiated with each school division individually in the province, the Alberta government has capped what school boards can offer.
”School divisions are only allowed to offer upwards of three per cent, three per cent, three per cent and that’s over four years. If they deviate from that there are fines and penalties for those individual school divisions,” said Penhalagan.
“We are asking for the right to bargain freely.”
And for parents of students with complex needs, the job action means a disruption in the daily school routine — which, in the case of kids living on the Autism spectrum, can be a huge disruption. For other kids, they can’t safety be at school without an EA to assist them with daily tasks.
Hanson says while the school will allow Cale to attend an hour on some days, and up to half a day on others, he won’t return to class until the people he trusts most are back in class too.
“You have to have hands-on experience: if he falls out of a standing frame wheelchair or walker, then what? Then I’m home with a kid with an injury,” Hanson said.
Foothills School Division said one-third of staff are currently involved in the strike.
In a statement, the division said it’s working hard to balance resources and ensure a safe learning environment for all students.
“Schools, in collaboration with families, will make every reasonable effort to support a continuity of learning while balancing safety concerns and operational realities. This balance is always considered in individualized student learning plans, even during normal circumstances. “ the statement reads.
The job action south of Calgary is now into its third week.
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