Stop Making the Strike Longer — STOP HIRING SCABS in Black Gold Schools

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Stop Making the Strike Longer -- STOP HIRING SCABS

Scabs prolong strikes and make it harder for workers to get a fair deal at the bargaining table.

Black Gold School Division needs to stop recruiting scabs to cross the picket line. It’s undermining education support workers and the students and families who need them.

Enticing scabs to cross the picket line with wages and hours that go beyond what the division is willing to offer at the bargaining table to education support workers on strike is shameful and appalling.

Send a letter to the Black Gold School Division’s Superintendent and Trustees now. Tell them they need to stop advertising for scabs and start standing up for students and support staff.

A letter is already drafted for you. All you have to do is fill in your name. You’ll have a chance to approve or edit the letter before it’s sent.

Click here to send a letter

 

Alberta education strike spreads further

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About 400 education support workers at Parkland School Division will begin full strike action today. The workers have been engaged in ‘work-to-rule’ since February 18.

The workers join 6,000 other striking educational support workers in Fort McMurray, Edmonton, Leduc, Sturgeon, Calgary and the Okotoks region.

CUPE Local 5543 Vice President Chrissy Nickel said the workers had wanted to give the province a chance to address the strike issues, but we’re disappointed by their lack of concern.

“The purposeful underfunding of education has left classrooms without the support staff they need, directly impacting students—those with complex needs, those in mainstream classes, and those who require additional assistance to understand the curriculum.”

Nickel said the workers will put up picket lines today at the Parkland School Division office at 4300 43 St, Stony Plain.

“We understand the impact this has on students, especially students with special needs,” said Nickel. “However, students are being negatively affected by low wages, high turnover of staff, and vacancies in support positions. A good education requires well paid, satisfied support staff.”

Two more groups of education support staff in Alberta serve strike notice

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Two more groups of education support workers have filed 72-hour strike notice, meaning four groups in total will take job action on Monday.

CUPE 3484, representing 570 support staff at Black Gold School Division, and CUPE 5040, representing 300 support staff at Foothills School Division, both served strike notice last evening. Both groups expect to begin job action on Monday morning.

CUPE 40 (Calgary Board of Education, 800 employees) and CUPE 520 (Calgary Catholic School Division, 350 employees) have already served strike notice and also expect to begin job action on Monday.

The workers join 4,000 education support workers already on strike in Edmonton, Fort McMurray, and Sturgeon School Division. A further 400 employees of Parkland School Division started work to rule on Tuesday.

The average school support worker in Alberta makes just $34,500. Many have gone almost a decade without a wage increase, a period of 30% inflation.

CUPE Alberta President Rory Gill said that striking is a final resort for education support staff, but they feel they have no other option. He said that members don’t like to leave their students, but they know doing nothing will only make a bad situation worse.

“We went too long without a meaningful wage increase, during periods of record inflation,” said Gill. “Many staff work multiple jobs and some rely upon the food bank. People who are responsible for our children’s education deserve better.”

Gill noted that Alberta has the lowest per capita education funding in Canada. He says ‘mandates’ from the province restrict the wages school divisions can offer.

“We need the province to step up and help,” said Gill. “They brought us to this point, they need to take responsibility.”