CUPE Alberta members celebrate education support workers at annual convention
CUPE Alberta President Rory Gill addressed delegates at the CUPE Alberta 75th Annual Convention on Wednesday. He called strike action at school divisions in the province a win for the union and believes it will provide momentum for future negotiations.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
19-03-2025
- CBC
CUPE Alberta members celebrate education support workers at annual convention
CUPE Alberta President Rory Gill addressed delegates at the CUPE Alberta 75th Annual Convention on Wednesday. He called strike action at school divisions in the province a win for the union and believes it will provide momentum for future negotiations.
CBC
18-03-2025
- CBC
Custodial and maintenance workers reach tentative deal with Calgary Board of Education
Striking custodial and maintenance workers at the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) may soon be back on the job after their union reached a tentative deal with the school board. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) announced on Tuesday morning that it had reached tentative agreements with both the CBE and the Parkland School Division, west of Edmonton. The agreements, which would end a three-week work stoppage, are for a three-year term ending in August 2028. More than 1,100 custodial and maintenance workers from Calgary's public and Catholic school divisions went on strike in February, arguing they haven't received a wage increase in years. The striking workers included cleaners, plumbers, tradespeople, facility operators, mechanics and members working on ground maintenance and snow removal. Members of CUPE Local 40 still need to agree to ratify the deal with the CBE. The union will hold an electronic ratification vote on Tuesday night, with results announced the following evening. If approved, the workers would return to Calgary public schools on Friday. CUPE Alberta president Rory Gill said on Tuesday that his union's members made it clear throughout the past few weeks they were serious with the school boards and province about needing better wages, which has resulted in new deals for striking education workers around Alberta. "These have been very long strikes, incredibly tough struggles for our members," Gill said. "But they've maintained their determination, their strength and their solidarity, and it's paying off. It's paying off in decent living wages and proper funding for public education." CUPE Local 5543, representing Parkland School Division employees, will hold a ratification vote of their own beginning Tuesday afternoon. More details about the new deals will be released after union members have reviewed them, Gill said. But CUPE noted the agreements are for a wage package higher than what the provincial government originally mandated. The new agreements follow thousands of education support workers across Alberta reaching a tentative deal of their own with the Edmonton Public, Fort McMurray Public and Fort McMurray Catholic school districts on Saturday. CUPE's agreement with the Fort McMurray school boards was ratified this week, which will bring them back to work on Wednesday. CUPE 3550 members at Edmonton Public Schools will vote on their tentative agreement on Wednesday. If accepted, the Edmonton public school workers on strike will return to work on Thursday. Strikes remain ongoing for CUPE workers at the Calgary Catholic School District (CCSD), as well as the Black Gold School Division in central Alberta and Foothills School Division. The CCSD said it will meet with striking Local 520 members on Tuesday. Gill said he's hopeful the two sides will reach a deal just like their counterparts at the CBE. Thousands of education workers have been on strike in Edmonton and Fort McMurray since mid-November. Around the province, CUPE has noted the average education support worker earns $34,500 per year. Alberta's Minister of Finance Nate Horner and Minister of Education Demetrios Nicolaides said in a joint statement on Tuesday they were pleased to see, after months of negotiations, education workers will receive raises and return to work if the agreements are ratified. "The Government of Alberta welcomes the return to normalcy for tens of thousands of students, staff, and families," Horner and Nicolaides said in an emailed statement.
CBC
18-03-2025
- CBC
New deals signal end of Alberta's school support worker strike
Education support workers who have been on strike for weeks are entertaining new contract offers which could see them soon return to Alberta classrooms. A series of approved and tentative deals have been reached between members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees and local school boards, signalling the end of a prolonged labour dispute. The union has been demanding what it calls fair wages for the thousands of support workers it represents across Alberta and began staging strikes two months ago. School support workers include education assistants, librarians, licensed practical nurses, interpreters, cafeteria workers and administration staff. Their absence from classrooms left schools scrambling to fill the gap in staffing and support services, especially for students with higher needs. In a statement Tuesday, union officials said a tentative agreement has been reached for workers at Parkland School District. At Parkland School District, an electronic ratification vote will start Tuesday afternoon among members of CUPE Local 5543, with results to be announced on Wednesday evening. If members approve the agreement, they will be back to work in schools on Thursday, union officials said. CUPE 3550 members at Edmonton Public Schools will vote on their agreement on Wednesday. About 3,000 CUPE 3550 members have been on strike at Edmonton Public since early January. If the members accept the settlement, they will return to work on Thursday. In Fort McMurray, education support workers approved a new contract and will return to work Wednesday. In a statement released Monday night, CUPE said members ratified agreements with the Fort McMurray Public and Fort McMurray Catholic school districts. It comes after 1,000 members in Fort McMurray walked off the job in mid-November. A tentative deal has also been reached for workers with the Calgary Board of Education, the union announced Tuesday. CUPE spokesperson Lou Arab said the union will not be releasing detailed results of the vote. The details of each contract have yet to be released. CUPE officials say the contracts ratified so far are for terms ending in August 2028, and for a wage package higher than what the government initially offered. The details of the collective agreements will become publicly available in the coming days. In Tuesday's statement, CUPE Alberta President Rory Gill said he was pleased more school districts are following workers in Fort McMurray and Edmonton in negotiating and approving new deals. "Education support workers have shown great courage and determination," Gill said. "I'm so happy for them that they have won the respect they deserve."
