EDMONTON — More than 3,000 educational support workers in Edmonton and some nearby communities could walk off the job as early as Monday.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees says locals representing workers with the Edmonton Public School Board and the Sturgeon Public School Division were to serve strike notice on Thursday.
School support workers include education assistants, librarians, cafeteria workers and administration staff.
In an interview, CUPE Local 3550 president Mandy Lamoureux said the union plans to escalate job action until the Alberta government addresses low wages. The union and the province have been at a standstill on a new deal since 2020.
Lamoureux, whose local represents the 3,000 workers at roughly 250 Edmonton public schools, said the average educational support worker earns $34,500 in Alberta. No one will take these jobs at those wages, she said.
Officials often tell her members that schools can't run without them, but those words aren't enough, she said.
"We don't need praise, we need a raise," she said. "Our school board superintendent has said he appreciates and values us, and we get that, but we also need to be appreciated financially."
Roughly 1,000 school support workers have been on the picket lines in Fort McMurray since Tuesday, following rotating job action that began in November. Union officials there warned the strike could go Alberta-wide by the spring if the province doesn't act.
CUPE Alberta president Rory Gill previously told The Canadian Press those workers were recently given an offer of three per cent retroactive to 2020. It works out to just 1.75 per cent for 2023 and 1.75 per cent for 2024.
Lamoureux said her members are being offered 2.75 per cent for the same time frame, which equals 1.25 per cent for 2023 and 1.50 per cent for 2024.
Working as an education support worker was sustainable 10 years ago, but that's no longer the case, she said.
"Many of our members work two to three jobs to earn a living wage," she said, adding some also make use of food banks.
"It is a hard decision to vote to strike, but if we take no action, a bad situation for students will get even worse in the long run."
Finance Minister Nate Horner accused CUPE of misleading members and the public. In a statement, he said the union had members reject the offer, despite purportedly accepting similar deals for workers in other parts of the province.
Horner said school boards are responsible for negotiating with CUPE and that the province merely provides the funding to those boards.
"The work of educational assistants is important, but only takes place part-time and only during the school year," he said. "No one would expect to earn a full-time salary for 10 months of part-time work."
Horner said going on strike is not a solution and blaming the government isn't either.
“CUPE leadership needs to stop misleading its members, students, parents and the public and get back to the bargaining table with creative solutions," he said.
Edmonton public schools spokeswoman Carrie Rosa said the division is disappointed by the strike notice but is "committed" to reaching an agreement with the union.
"We have worked incredibly hard over the past two years to reach an agreement that would avoid any disruption to student learning," she said in a statement.
"We have tabled everything we possibly can, including a longer-term eight-year deal that provides certainty and stability for support staff."
Rosa said schools have been working on contingency plans if the strike goes ahead. It may include students having to rotate in-person learning throughout the week or be supported in learning from home, she said.
Sturgeon Public Schools did not immediately return a request for comment.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 9, 2025.
Aaron Sousa, The Canadian Press
