-

Over 2,000 School Support Workers Join Strike Today

CALGARY, Alberta--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Four groups of educational support workers will set up picket lines today and join existing strikes already in progress across Alberta.

The four groups include:

CUPE Local 40, 800 employees of the Calgary Board of Education.
CUPE Local 520, 350 employees of the Calgary Catholic School Division.
CUPE Local 3484, 570 employees of Black Gold School Division.
CUPE Local 5040, 300 employees of Foothills School Division.

These workers join over 4,000 others on strikes in Edmonton, Fort McMurray and Sturgeon County. A further 400 workers at Parkland School Division are engaging in ‘work-to-rule’ actions.

CUPE Alberta President Rory Gill says his members are tired of poverty-level wages and low funding levels for education. Alberta has the lowest education funding of any province in Canada. The average school support worker in the province makes just $34,500 per year.

“A good education requires well paid, satisfied support staff,” said Gill. “Some support workers have endured 30% inflation over a decade without any wage increases.”

Gill said support workers are striking because they feel low wages are having an impact on learning. Some school districts have up to 10% vacancy rates.

“We understand the impact this has on students, especially students with special needs,” said Gill. “However, students are affected by low wages, high turnover of staff, and vacancies in support positions. Doing nothing will make things worse.”

Gill blamed the Alberta government for the situation.

“We warned the province that if they didn’t take action, the strike would spread, and today that’s coming true,” said Gill. “We want the province to take responsibility, fund our schools properly and end this dispute.”

:clc/cope491

Contacts

Lou Arab, Communications Representative
780.271.2722 | larab@cupe.ca

Industry:

Canadian Union of Public Employees

Release Versions
English

Contacts

Lou Arab, Communications Representative
780.271.2722 | larab@cupe.ca

More News From Canadian Union of Public Employees

Stop shipping Canadian jobs overseas, says alliance of telecom workers

OTTAWA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A new alliance of telecommunications workers is denouncing the offshoring of thousands of Canadian jobs by major telecommuncations corporations, to the detriment of the Canadian economy, as well as Canadians’ privacy, security and sovereignty. The Canadian Telecommunications Workers Alliance - a coalition of Unifor, the United Steelworkers of Canada and CUPE, three of Canada’s largest unions - is sounding the alarm about this growing crisis and demanding legislation fro...

New Alliance to raise the alarm on the offshoring of Canadian telecommunications jobs

OTTAWA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Representatives from the Canadian Telecommunications Workers Alliance – a coalition of unions representing tens of thousands of workers in the sector – will hold a press conference to launch their campaign to protect Canadian jobs from outsourcing, and to protect Canadians’ privacy and sovereignty. WHERE: OTTAWA – National Press Theatre, 180 Wellington Street, Room 325 WHEN: February 11, 9:30 AM WHO: Lana Payne, Unifor National President Marty Warren, United Steelworker...

CORRECTING and REPLACING “More than 700 nursing and PSW job cuts in Ottawa:” New report warns of longer wait-times and declining quality of care due to health care funding plan

OTTAWA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Day of conference should read: 10:00 a.m., Friday, February 13 (instead of 10 a.m., Wednesday, February 13). The updated release reads: “MORE THAN 700 NURSING AND PSW JOB CUTS IN OTTAWA:” NEW REPORT WARNS OF LONGER WAIT-TIMES AND DECLINING QUALITY OF CARE DUE TO HEALTH CARE FUNDING PLAN CUPE media conference on February 13 A new report warns that the provincial government’s funding plan for the next three years will have severe consequences for the health care system in...
Back to Newsroom