More education support workers in Alberta issue job-action notices

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on February 15, 2025.

newsdesk@medicinehatnews.com

Four-hundred support workers will begin a ‘work to rule’ action beginning Feb. 18 following a 91 per cent vote in favour of job action by the CUPE local union that serves the Parkland School Division west of Edmonton.

Members will be asked to not work beyond the hours they are paid for and not to engage in any volunteer activities at the jobs, explains Wendy Harman, local 5543 president.

“Many of our members work two to three jobs to earn a living wage,” says Harman. “The impact of the provincial policy of starvation wages in the classroom is staggering. No one will take the jobs at these wages, it’s hard to replace sick employees. Students and education are suffering.”

Harman says the job action is part of CUPE’s plans to escalate the strike until the province addresses overall wages in the sector. According to the union the average wage for an educational support work in Alberta is $34,500 annually.

“It’s a hard decision to vote to strike but doing nothing will make a bad situation in classrooms even worse. We’re taking action to protect education,” adds Harman.

Additionally, four other educational support worker local unions have taken strike votes but have not yet served notice, including unions seeking deals with the Calgary Board of Education and Calgary Catholic School District, which represent more than 1,000 custodial and maintenance employees.

The educational support workers are joining more than 4,000 CUPE members who have been striking in Edmonton, Sturgeon County and Fort McMurray since the beginning part of January.

Last week, CUPE National placed the executive board of Medicine Hat’s local 829 on administration, shortly before members were to vote on a tentative four-year collective agreement with MHPSD. The local union represents more than 250 educational support workers.

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