MHPSD board chair Catherine Wilson, left, is pictured alongside fellow trustees in this May 2022 file photo. The board has asked the labour board to go directly to local support staff to settle an issue over a recently signed, then nullified contract.--NEWS FILE PHOTO
@@CollinGallant
A Medicine Hat school board has asked the labour board to directly poll unionized employees to settle a controversy over an apparent contract offer to its educational assistants.
Meanwhile, the union representing support workers says it will file its own complaint of “bad faith bargaining” against the Medicine Hat Public School Division, and plans to resume talks with a new committee soon.
Earlier this month, local leaders of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, Local No. 829, apparently signed a contract settlement between the two sides, but that came shortly after local committees were suspended by CUPE’s national office.
That led to allegations of grandstanding from the provincial government and a response from the union that a “smear campaign” was meant to distract from widespread labour unrest in public education.
The same day those barbs were traded on Feb. 11, labour lawyers acting on behalf of the Medicine Hat Public School Division applied to Alberta Labour Relations board to conduct a “last offer” proposal vote among 308 staff members.
The measure can be used by an employer after protracted talks haven’t yielded an agreement, or if they believe the bargaining committee is intransigent.
The matter was accepted Wednesday morning in Edmonton in an administrative hearing with further hearings to be scheduled.
MHPSD is represented by Edmonton law firm, Neuman Thompson.
CUPE Alberta officials told the News on Wednesday that it will oppose the measure, has filed a bad faith bargaining application and will have a new bargaining committee for ratification by general membership in the near future.
“We will soon be consulting members about what they want to achieve in this round of bargaining,” stated CUPE officials in response to News inquiries. “We hope to return to the bargaining table as soon as possible after that.”
MHPSD board chair Catherine Wilson said in a release that it values clerical, educational assistants and custodial staff represented by CUPE.
“We believe that both sides agreed on a fair deal that will benefit education support workers today and into the future; we are optimistic about coming to a resolution,” said Wilson.
“While acknowledging CUPE’s right to object to the Labour Relations Board, MHPSD is hopeful that the vote will proceed swiftly … ensuring local CUPE workers are informed, understand the proposed tentative agreement and can have their local voices heard through a vote.”
Currently, 4,000 CUPE members in Edmonton and Fort McMurray are on strike, 400 more in Parkland are working to rule during contract talks and workers at two other rural divisions have given a strike mandate but remain on the job. On Wednesday, nearly 1,200 custodians at two Calgary boards issued a 72-hour strike notice.
On Feb. 11, a joint statement from Treasury Minister Nate Horner and Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides implied the move in Medicine Hat was part of a larger campaign to win concessions.
“CUPE National union with Ontario-based leadership is interfering in what should be local negotiations between school boards and CUPE locals, and in other areas using tactics of fear and intimidation to prevent deals from being signed,” read the joint statement, which specifically referenced the situation in Medicine Hat
CUPE provincial president Rory Gill responded saying the allegations were “full of falsehoods and baseless attacks.”
“The UCP government that repeatedly claims it is not involved in bargaining with education support workers is very quick to comment on the matter and involving itself to an unprecedented level,” stated Gill. “Once again, rather than step up to the plate and negotiate a solution to the classroom problems they have caused, the government chooses a smear campaign.”
CUPE officials have said that local leadership was suspended for unstated reasons but “unrelated to bargaining” before the contract offer was signed, thereby nullifying their authority to conduct official business.
