Deal reached for more than 4,000 striking CUPE education workers

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on March 18, 2025.

CUPE says three deals have been reached between local unions and school divisions in Edmonton and Fort McMurray that now still need to be ratified by CUPE members.

More than 3,000 educational workers representing the local union, which works with Edmonton Public Schools along with more than 1,000 workers in Fort McMurray’s public and Catholic districts, could soon return to work following months on the picket line.

Support workers in Edmonton could return to work as early as Wednesday, and workers in Fort McMurray, who ratified the deal Monday evening, will return to work Wednesday.

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 all three deals include wage agreements higher than the original mandates imposed by the province, and will be in affect for a three-year period concluding August 2028.

“I’m in awe of the workers in Edmonton and Fort McMurrary who stood their ground, in weather as cold as -51C, to win a fair contract,” said Gill. “Their fortitude, their determination and their solidarity won the day. Education support workers are critical to our school system, and today they finally won the respect they deserve.”

Officials are hopeful the deals, once finalized, could lead to further settlements between the more than 2,600 support workers that remain on strike within the Calgary, Sturgeon, Parkland, Foothills and Black Gold school divisions.

Last week, educational assistants, clerical and custodial staff at Medicine Hat Public School Division voted in an Alberta Labour Board process, called for after a tentative agreement was signed off on by local union leaders within an hour of their dismal by national union officials.

CUPE then filed a “bad faith bargaining” accusation with the labour board, while the school division applied for a “last offer” vote process put directly to employees.

Gill said in a release that 235 out of 274 eligible members took part in a labour board-supervised voting on March 10 and 11. The result was a 79.1 per cent of ballots rejecting the proposal.

A school board release states the rejection of the contract offer leaves “uncertainty,” but it “respects that this decision reflects the concerns and priorities of support workers.”

On Wednesday, CUPE Alberta is hosting its annual two-day convention in Calgary. The provincial union represents more than 40,000 members including workers in the municipal, healthcare and public sectors.

The convention will include keynote speeches from Gill, national president Mark Hancock and Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi.