Support workers in Black Gold School Division join province-wide strike

Educational support workers in the Black Gold School Division went on strike Monday along with three other school divisions in the southern part of the province, including Calgary.

The Black Gold School division includes schools south of Edmonton, including Beaumont, Devon, Leduc, Calmar, Warburg, Thorsby, and New Sarepta. 570 workers from this division joined the over 4000 EAs already on strike in the province, lobbying for better wages.

“Well, I’m making more on the picket line than I do working at the school with the darlings that we work with,” said Lacy Fontaine, an educational support worker.

RELATED:

Education support workers west of Edmonton to go on strike Tuesday

Over 400 education support workers are expected to go on strike in Parkland on Tuesday, after issuing a 72-hour strike notice Friday. Member of CUPE Local 5543, which represents employees in the Parkland…

0:46

Alberta’s Education Minister weighs in on education support staff strike

Alberta’s Education Minister weighs in on the strike action taken by education support staff in the province.

Alberta judge blocks order keeping kids with special needs out of class during strike

An Alberta judge granted an injunction Thursday to block a ministerial order that has prevented children with special needs from attending school as a support strike drags on. More than 4,000…

Edmonton girl, 8, with rare genetic disorder has not attended school since educational assistants’ strike began Jan. 13

Every morning, eight-year-old Isabelle watches from the window as her two sisters Madison and Olivia leave to walk to school. “Izzy gets so excited, because she thinks she’s going to go. But then,…

More Alberta education workers now on strike, demanding better pay

Several groups of Alberta education workers across the province hit the picket lines on Monday.

Some workers on the picket line in Leduc on Monday have been in the classroom for decades.

“When I started 25 years ago, I started at $5.13 less than I make now,” said Donna, an educational support worker.

Julia Carter, another educational support worker says, “I make $23.97 cents, and that’s 35 years of hard work.”

The Black Gold School Division is one of the latest to walk off the job. There are now seven locals on strike in communities across Alberta. Workers in Leduc told CityNews being on strike is a last resort.

“I love my students, I wish I wasn’t out here, I wish I was in school,” said Carter.

Donna adding, “Guilty. I don’t like it at all. Because I know my kids in there are going to struggle without an EA. So that doesn’t make me feel good at all. But something’s gotta give.”

RELATED:

Edmonton public schools and CUPE still without a deal as more strike votes loom

It was a cold morning on the picket line for education support staff in Edmonton. As the strike enters its fourth week, the union and school board remain at an impasse. “These folks feel like they…

Four students launch lawsuit against the Alberta government over education strike

Four Edmonton Public School students with disabilities are suing the Alberta government and the Minister of Education for discrimination.  The lawsuit filed Friday alleges a ministerial order keeping…

Edmonton Public Schools deadlocked in negotiations with educational assistants union

The third week of striking by educational assistants at Edmonton Public Schools is almost over and the union says there’s no end in sight. They say negotiations are deadlocked. “It is hard work….

School support worker strike poised to grow as two more divisions reach impasse

A strike by thousands of school support workers in Alberta is poised to get bigger as unions for two more divisions reach an impasse. Staff from the Edmonton area, Sturgeon County and Fort McMurray…

Educational assistants primarily work one-on-one with children who have higher needs or disabilities.

“On the daily, my colleagues are hit, kicked, punched, spit at, swore at, running all through the community. Verbal abuse, physical abuse. Chairs thrown, tables, you name it, we’re on the front lines,” explained Carter.

In Edmonton, many disabled children have been kept out of school while the strike continues.

Last week, an Alberta judge granted an injunction and ruled that the Ministry of Education has until February 27th to change the order keeping children out of school. CityNews reached out to the Ministry of Education to ask about a plan in response to the injunction, in a very brief statement, Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said, “We are reviewing the judge’s orders at this time.”

The Black Gold School Division states, on its website, that they are “maintaining programming to the best of their ability”, however, the pre-kindergarten program has been temporarily paused for the week as they come up with a part-time learning program.