More Edmonton-area education support workers vote to join strike

Education support workers at two Edmonton-area school divisions are among the five CUPE locals who went to the polls across Alberta this week and voted in favour of job action.

The 570 educational assistants and support staff employees of Black Gold School Division — covering schools south of Edmonton — voted 95 per cent in favour of a strike.

And the 400 educational assistants and support staff at Parkland School Division, west of Edmonton, voted 91 per cent in favour of job action.

Meanwhile three Calgary-area school divisions also voted to join the more than 4,000 education support staff currently on strike in Edmonton, Fort McMurray and Sturgeon County.

CUPE president Rory Gill says the strong strike mandate from all five groups is a sign the province needs to take steps to improve education funding in next week’s budget. He adds that Alberta has the lowest per-student education funding of any province in the country.

“We’ve been telling the government that if they don’t address the funding problems in our classrooms, the strikes will expand,” said Gill. “They did not address the funding problems, and now the strikes will expand.”