Thousands of school support staff hit Fort McMurray picket lines over wage dispute

A Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) flag is seen in Ottawa, Friday, Nov. 4, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

Roughly 1,000 school support workers have hit picket lines in Fort McMurray, and union officials say the strike could go Alberta-wide by the spring if the province doesn't act.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees says the main sticking point is wages and that its members haven't seen a pay increase in well over a decade. School support workers encompass staffers from custodians and administration workers to tradespeople and education assistants.

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The average school support worker in Alberta earns $34,500 per year, CUPE Alberta president Rory Gill said in an interview Tuesday. The number is closer to $27,000 for education assistants, he said.

The latest offer of a three per cent retroactive wage increase over four years isn't good enough, he said.

"The wages have been stagnant, not moved in near on a decade in education. We need much more than that," he said, adding it's common for workers to take out two or three jobs to make ends meet.

"We need to see serious wage increases."

He also said strike action could extend to roughly 7,000 workers from 41 union locals across the province in the next eight to 10 weeks if the government doesn't give more funding to school divisions.

The Catholic and public school divisions in Fort McMurray say their early childhood development programs are on hold and that both recognize the right to strike.

Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides, in a statement, said the increases being offered are appropriate for this round of bargaining.

"It seems unreasonable that the union is demanding more," he said, adding these workers exceed the western Canadian average.

"We remain hopeful that the union will put students and families first by coming back to the bargaining table and working toward a deal that is fair and reasonable."

Gill said the province hasn't kept up its end of the bargain when Premier Danielle Smith promised during the 2023 election to hire more education assistants. Nobody is applying to the jobs because the wages are too low, he said.

While he applauds recent promises to build schools, he said there aren't enough staff to work in them.

"It's a problem with a very easy solution," he said. "Look at the system, properly fund it and we can go on from there.

"I'm absolutely hopeful that this (strike) will do it, but it's really up to the government at this point."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 7, 2025.