EDMONTON 鈥� Education support workers gathered under pitch-black pre-dawn skies in Edmonton and nearby communities Monday to go on strike in a wage dispute with their employers.
The workers, bundled in coats and scarves while holding up signs and placards, demanded what they call livable wages from the Edmonton Public School Board and Sturgeon Public School Division.
School support workers include education assistants, cafeteria workers and administration staff.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees says some 3,000 staff were off the job in Edmonton.
"Our members are not able to sustain life right now," said Mandy Lamoureux, president of CUPE Local 3550, which represents support staff in Edmonton.
"We're not asking for a lot. We're just asking to be able to pay our bills, not have to hold a second job and not have to visit a food bank."
In the Sturgeon division, just north of the provincial capital, another 200 workers were on rotating strike action and working to rule, but their union said they would be on strike as of Tuesday unless a settlement was reached.
Kelly Salisbury, president of CUPE Local 4625, said poor wages are making it difficult for school divisions to hire and retain staff.
"People are quitting, no one will take the jobs at these wages," Salisbury said in a statement. "Students and education are suffering. If we don't take action, a bad situation for students will only get worse."
Lamoureux has said the average education support worker in Alberta earns $34,500 per year. The union is being offered a 2.75 per cent raise retroactive to 2020, which equates to 1.25 per cent for 2023 and 1.50 per cent for 2024.
Finance Minister Nate Horner has accused CUPE of being misleading, saying the union has accepted similar offers for thousands of workers across Alberta doing the same jobs as those in Edmonton.
Asked about Horner's comments, Lamoureux said her members are being reasonable in pursuit of a living wage.
"We're not asking for trips to Mexico or a Mercedes," she said, adding she hopes to return to the bargaining table to negotiate with the school board.
Schools remain open, but there may be interruptions or limited services. Parents may have trouble reaching the school office. Cafeteria services might not be available and some students may need to stay home for part or all of the day.
The superintendents of both divisions have said each school will be affected differently and that parents should keep in touch with their school's principal.
Darrel Robertson, from the Edmonton Public School Board, told reporters Friday his division has tried to reach a deal with the union, but they've put everything they can on the table.
Lamoureux said her members understand that, so they are calling on the province to boost funding.
Picket lines went up outside three Edmonton high schools and all Sturgeon schools.
Among the dozens of pickets outside Ross Sheppard High School was Fran Robertson, an education assistant of 22 years. Speaking to The Canadian Press, she said there were many more supports available to her when she started her career, but said they have dwindled over the last nine years.
"We had occupational therapists that would help us in the room and with the cutbacks, they are pretty much non-existent now," she said, adding there were also family liaison co-ordinators and music therapists.
Robertson said there are many days when one educational assistant ends up working with multiple students. If a teacher is out sick, they sometimes end up teaching the entire class, she said.
"We've been working short for years," she said.
Joan McMillan, who has worked as an educational assistant for seven years, said the strike was a long time coming. "We definitely deserve more than what we get with what we have to do in that classroom," she said.
Gil McGowan of the Alberta Federation of Labour said the provincial government is "grossly underfunding" the education system and is trying to lay the blame at the feet of the workers.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 13, 2025.
Aaron Sousa, The Canadian Press
