MandyLamoureux

Edmonton Public Schools and CUPE 3550 have reached an impasse and the about 3,000 school support staff remain on strike. Edmonton Public Schools superintendent Darrell Robertson shared that the division has presented its best offer, but the union demands "far exceed" what the division can pay. CUPE 3550 president Mandy Lamoureux said the union walked away from the bargaining table because the division refused to budge on its wage offer.

While Edmonton Public Schools and CUPE 3550 are away from the bargaining table support staff have been on the picket lines during the coldest part of the year and would like to trade the cold for the warmth of the schools and students they serve.

We're now into the second week of Edmonton Public Schools support staff strike and as you would expect the ripple effects are being felt by many. Students and families, especially special needs students and their families may feel it most. Diana Halabi’s twelve-year-old daughter Zahea is non-verbal and requires help with everything from the minute Zahea gets off the school bus until she gets back on it. Zahea can’t attend school in person because there is nobody to support her.

Both CUPE Local 3550 President Mandy Lamoureux and Alberta Teachers’ Association president Jason Schilling say they have heard similar stories from others. Lamoureux said the union got word Tuesday morning that the school board wants to return to the bargaining table as early as Thursday.

CUPE Local 3550 has served the Edmonton Public School Board strike notice on behalf of 3,000 educational support staff. CUPE Local 3550 represents a wide range of support staff who work directly with students and in schools and central departments. The support staff can and likely will strike and establish picket lines as soon as Monday.

CUPE 3550 president Mandy Lamoureaux said some support staff have gone 10 years without a cost-of-living wage. According to CUPE, the average educational support worker in Alberta earns $34,500 per year.

Finance Minister Nate Horner said The work of educational assistants is important, but only takes place part-time and only during the school year. No one would expect to earn a full-time salary for 10 months of part-time work,”

84% of the Education Assistants who work with the Edmonton Public School voted to reject the latest wage cap offer. There is a great gulf between the disputes inquiry board offer of 2.75% and the CUPE's request for a number close to 30%. The president of CUPE Local 3550, Mandy Lamoureux said educational assistants will be at work on staff for the first day of school when students return from Christmas break. As of today Edmonton Public Schools has not received strike notice from the union.

CUPE Local 3550 representing 3,152 members mainly comprised of educational assistants and support staff will hold an online strike vote on Wednesday. CUPE Local 474 representing 950 custodial staff will be holding their strike vote in-person on Thursday and next Sunday.

CUPE Local 3550 president Mandy Lamoureux said holding wages to the province’s cap of 2.75 per cent which works out to 70 cents over four years is “not enough”. CUPE Local 474 said it anticipates the same offer to extend the length of the contract made to Local 3550 when it returns to the bargaining table.

A strike by CUPE Local 3550 members would be disruptive but a strike by CUPE Local 474 members would probably shut down the schools.

Next up will be negotiations with Edmonton Public Schools' teachers.

More than 4000 public school support staff are preparing to hold strike votes as early as October 17 and 20 which have been designated as potential voting days. The 3,200 school support workers in CUPE local 3550 and 950 custodians in CUPE local 474 after more than four years without current collective agreements. Support workers contemplating job action include educational assistants, library technicians and administrative assistants.

Mandy Lamoureux, president of support workers CUPE local 3550 and Barry Benoit, president of custodians CUPE local 474 both say low wages and non-monetary issues have led to this impasse. If union members vote in favour of a strike, job action could begin 72 hours after notifying the school board to withdraw some or all of their services which would create havoc in publc schools around the city. Edmonton Public Schools's communication director, Carrie Rosa, said Edmonton Public Schools is working hard to reach an agreement with the union locals.

According to Justin Brattinga, press secretary to Alberta's finance minister, CUPE negotiates directly with school boards who get funding from the Province. The province has a formula which determines how much money each school board gets. School boards in in some urban and suburban divisions say the formula fails to provide enough money to keep pace with the rapid enrolment growth they are experiencing.