Only days after hundreds of Catholic Schools support staff took to the picket lines, the school board’s latest contract offer was rejected by union workers.
The Labour Relations Board and the Edmonton Catholic School Board said 760 of the 916 eligible support workers cast votes – of those, 546 voted against the Catholic School board’s latest contract offer, with 211 voted for it.
Three of the votes were spoiled.
"We are extremely disappointed that our support staff rejected the latest contract offer," Board Chair Debbie Engel said in a press release. "We realize the impact of a strike on parents, students and staff, and we hope to meet shortly with the union's negotiating committee to resume negotiations.
"Schools will remain open as the strike continues."
The results come after two days of voting in a proposal vote – the school board called for it because only 479 workers voted on the last contract offer before the strike was called.
Support workers include teacher’s aides, secretaries and librarians.
Their original contract was in effect from September 1, 2009 to August 31, 2011.
They walked off the job Monday morning, and with the recent vote results – the strike will continue.
