Education strike expected to officially following last agreement vote; local works still without agreement

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on March 21, 2025.

newsdesk@medicinehatnews.com

Today members of CUPE local 5040 who work for the Foothills School Division are expected to vote in the last of nine agreements reached this week between striking education workers and school districts.

On Thursday two more CUPE locals voted to accept tentative agreements.

CUPE local 520 members at the Calgary Catholic School Division voted 93 per cent to accept their settlement and will be back to work Monday. Members representing CUPE local 4625 at the Sturgeon School Division voted 80 per cent in favour and will be back to work March 31.

The ratification of the agreement today would officially end CUPE strike action that impacted more than 6,000 support workers since early January who hit the picket line for higher wages.

CUPE says it will not be releasing details of the settlements publicly until its members have had a chance to look it over, however Alberta president Rory Gill says deals include wage agreements higher than the original mandates imposed by the province.

Local educational support workers in Medicine Hat still remain without an agreement with the public school division.

Last week members with CUPE local 829 voted not to ratify their purpose deal after National Union leaders dismissed five local CUPE board members, including its president, within a one-hour time period of signing a tentative agreement with the public school division.

CUPE filed a ‘bad faith bargaining” accusation with the province labour board because the board members who signed the agreement were dismissed, less than an hour, prior to signing the agreement that workers would have voted for.

MHPSD superintendent Tracy Hensel said in a statement the district believes its offer represented “a fair and competitive package, addressing key concerns raised during negotiations.”

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