‘Illegal job action’: After strike averted, EPSB support staff protest at Alberta legislature

Two days after the Alberta government stepped into labour negotiations to prevent a strike, Edmonton Public School Board support staff protested at the legislature Thursday.

The union called it a “political protest,” not a strike, but Alberta’s minister of education described it as “illegal job action.”

The unionized support workers descended on the legislature grounds, brandishing signs and chanting “poverty wages got to go” and “no more mandates.”

Support workers are planning to return to work Friday, but CUPE is not ruling out more protests in the future.

“We’re willing to pay any fine to get justice and decent wages for these workers,” said CUPE Alberta president Rory Gill. “CUPE is the largest union in the country, we are not going to be pushed around and these folks will not be pushed around.”

On Tuesday, the Alberta government provided a mediator to the parties – the EPSB and the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 3550 – to avoid any work disruption.

The province said because a Disputes Inquiry Board was established before a strike or lockout action began – which was scheduled for Thursday – the union local could not strike and employers could not lock out employees until the inquiry process concludes.

CUPE called the gathering a member-driven “political protest” instead of a strike, accusing the Alberta government of interfering in collective bargaining.

“We are disappointed as the union seems to have chosen to initiate illegal job action,” Alberta Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said in a statement. “A process was implemented that would provide the opportunity for the parties to continue exploring resolution to their bargaining without need for job action and disruptions to students and their learning.

“It is our hope that the union considers the impact of this activity on students and families, choose to discontinue what seems to be an illegal strike, and go back to the bargaining table with their local school board and work towards a deal that is fair and reasonable.”

Education assistants on average make about $28,000 a year, the union says. They’re trying to get to about $40,000 – but the EPSB’s offer is an extra 73 cents an hour.

“The cost of living has gone up 30 per cent,” said CUPE Local 3550 president Mandy Lamoureux. “The offer on the table is a government mandated 2.75 per cent. We not willing to accept that. Our members are in poverty wages and they need to earn more.

EPSB says principals began making arrangements to support student programming and learning after hearing of the strike Wednesday night.

“In some circumstances this included contacting families of students who require support staff for safety reasons, advising them that for their safety, they should stay home,” an EPSB spokesperson said. “This is a temporary response to staff being absent from work today.

“The Division will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates to families and staff as they become available.”

CUPE Local 3550 represents around 3,200 support workers for the EPSB, including educational assistants, administrative assistants, technicians, librarians, school nurses, food workers and speech pathology assistants.

“Members did not come to this lightly,” CUPE 3550 wrote in a news release Thursday morning. “They do not feel their government is hearing their pleas to help instead of hinder. They need a fair agreement for themselves and for the students they serve.”

The union told CityNews last week both parties are simply too far apart on wage increases. The union also wants its workers to receive more support to handle the province’s expanding classroom sizes.

It wasn’t just CUPE protesting. Other activists and government employees, including nurses, joined them Thursday to argue Alberta’s conservative government is being unfair to working people.

“Workers are saying enough is enough,” said Chris Gallaway of Friends of Medicare. “They deserve respect, they deserve to be able to afford to live, they deserve their rights, which includes the right to strike.”

CityNews spoke to some parents who are siding with the workers.

“I think they’re going a fine job of looking after our children and teaching them,” one said.

“I think they should get more,” added another. “They do a good job and keep the school going.”