Edmonton Public School Board & support staff union to restart bargaining talks

Honking horns, picket signs and chants for better wages echo loudly outside the Edmonton Public Schools headquarters Wednesday.

It’s day eight of the educational support staff strike and union leaders with CUPE Local 3550 tell CityNews there are signs of movement in negotiations — saying they’re returning to the bargaining table.

“It’s exhausting,” said Gillian Watts whose son is kept from school due to the Fort McMurray Strike. “It’s upsetting.”

Watts’ son Elias hasn’t been able to attend school this year.

The Fort McMurray grade two student requires an educational assistant to attend class in person.

Despite her best efforts to help him learn at home, he’s struggling to keep pace with his classmates.

“We’ve had more behaviour issues,” said Watts. “We’ve had to get him back into therapy, which costs us money and time and effort for things that we already worked through once.”

There are currently four support staff strikes happening across Alberta.  

Watts says, she’s watching Edmonton’s bargaining closely — hoping a deal there, could pave the way for one in Fort McMurray where support staff have been on strike since mid-November.

“I’m doing the best I can to keep him on track,” explained Watts. “But eventually, we’re going to see it hit the academics as well, which is going to be a massive self-esteem hit for him.”

Edmonton Publics Schools confirming to CityNews they have invited the union back to the bargaining table Thursday morning.

An issue during the strike — the pay of support staff workers, with a third party mediator landing on a 2.75 per cent raise over four years.

But union leaders believe the school boards hands are tied in negotiations by provincial education funding.

“I wish that Edmonton Public Schools would be forthright and say this is a funding problem from the province,” said Rory Gill, president of CUPE Alberta. “We could solve this this afternoon if the province lifts the mandate and allows free negotiations.”

Alberta’s finance ministry maintains these negotiations are between the school board’s and their unions — and is hopeful there will be a deal that puts students first.