Alberta schools drafting contingency plans ahead of looming support worker strike

The union representing some education support workers in the Edmonton area served a 72-hour strike notice on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2024. (Brandon Lynch/CTV News Edmonton)

Two Alberta school divisions gearing up for a strike by more than 3,000 support workers say they're drawing up contingency plans but encourage parents to keep in touch with their school's principal.

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The Canadian Union of Public Employees has said picket lines are to go up at 7:30 a.m. on Monday at three public high schools in Edmonton and all schools in the Sturgeon Public School Division, which is north of the Alberta capital.

Edmonton Public School Board superintendent Darrel Robertson told a Friday news conference that principals are working to mitigate the impacts, but said each school will be affected differently.

Parents are to contact principals if they are facing challenges with accommodations for students with special needs, he said.

"As much as it pains me to say, you can't take 3,000 workers out of a school division and expect that there won't be an impact," Robertson said. The division has 214 schools.

The union is demanding what it calls fair wages for the more than 3,000 education support workers it represents in both divisions. Their counterparts in Fort McMurray also began picketing earlier this week.

CUPE Local 3550 president Mandy Lamoureux has said the average educational support worker in Alberta earns $34,500 per year.

School support workers include education assistants, librarians, licensed practical nurses, interpreters, cafeteria workers and administration staff.

Sturgeon Public Schools, in a statement, said students are to attend classes. Contingency plans could include rotating in-person learning schedules or supporting students with learning from home.

There may also be adjustments to extracurricular activities and programs for students with special needs.

Sturgeon superintendent Shawna Warren told parents in a letter they can connect with their child's teacher about changes to classroom routines.

Also Friday, Alberta Opposition NDP deputy leader Rakhi Pancholi called for action ahead of the strike, accusing the United Conservative Party government of underfunding education and undercutting education assistants.

"This is a problem they created," she said.

After strike notices were sent Thursday to both divisions, Finance Minister Nate Horner accused CUPE leadership of misleading members and the public and said no one should expect to earn a full-time salary for 10 months of part-time work.

He also said school boards are responsible for negotiating with CUPE and that the province simply provides the funding to those boards.

Asked about Horner's comments, Pancholi called them insulting to education workers. She added the province sets the terms for negotiations and school boards can only do what they can with their current funding.

"They are disrespecting the negotiation process that those unions and those workers are rightfully engaged in," Pancholi said.

Robertson said Edmonton Public has worked to reach a deal with the union.

"Given the experience that we're having right now with significant growth and the (provincial) weighted moving average (funding formula), there isn't a whole lot of wiggle room," he said.

"We've put everything we can on the table."

Pam Puri told the NDP news conference her 12-year-old daughter with special needs could not attend school without the support of her education assistant. A strike would be very upsetting for her child, she said.

Even if her daughter is accommodated, it could mean she's isolated from classmates, has a shorter school day or would be forced to stay home altogether.

"This is absolutely not fair for children caught in the middle," Puri said.

Alberta Teachers' Association president Jason Schilling said in a Friday statement that his group respects CUPE's right to strike.

"Although teachers are overburdened without the support of educational assistants, we recognize this is an important step in moving towards properly staffed classrooms."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 10, 2025.

— With files from Lisa Johnson in Edmonton.