CUPELocal3550
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.
Edmonton Public School support staff who are members of CUPE Local 3550 are on strike for higher wages. CUPE Local 3550 and the Edmonton Public Schools seem to have reached an impasse.
The Edmonton Public School board is maxed out and needs more funds from the provincial government to meet CUPE Local 3550's demands. Finance Minister Nate Horner says CUPE has accepted similar offers for thousands of workers across Alberta doing the same jobs so uses that to justify the government's refusal to add more to the coffers.
Another important factor is that all Edmonton MLAs are NDP members so it remains to be seen whether they can pressure the UCP government to reconsider their position.
On Friday CUPE local 3550 announced that educational support workers will strike beginning at 7:30 a.m. this morning. The schoolks that will be picketed today include Ross Sheppard High School, M. E. LaZerte High School and Elder Dr. Francis Whiskeyjack High School. CUPE Local 3550 president Mandy Lamoureux will attend the Ross Shepard picket line and will make a statement at 7:15 a.m. ahead of start of the picket at 7:30 a.m.
Public Schools superintendent Darrel Robertson knows that taking 3,000 workers out of Edmonton public schools will be impactful. Robertson continues to work on negotiating a settlement, but without a release of more funding from the government he has limited bargaining power.
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.