Educational assistants who work in the Edmonton Public School District have voted 84 per cent in favor of rejecting the dispute investigation board’s latest salary cap proposal.
CUPE Local 3550, the union that represents EA, says this means a strike could occur in the new year if they can’t reach a fair agreement.
There is some relief for parents in the new year. CUPE Local 3550 President Mandy Lamoureux confirmed to Global News that educational assistants will likely be on staff for the first day of school when students return from Christmas break.
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Lamoureux said understaffing, low retention and earnings below minimum wage have been bargaining factors since the two sides negotiated in 2020.
Dispute Inquiry Board offers 2.75 per cent salary cap; The union wants a number closer to 30 percent.
“Our members are working two to three jobs, going to food banks, struggling to buy Christmas gifts to put under the Christmas tree. We believe they deserve a livable wage, and that’s why they’re fighting so hard for it,” Lamoureux said. “If we can’t get a fair deal, a 72-hour notice will be given sometime in the next month or so.”
The Edmonton Public Schools division sent a letter to parents on Monday. The division said in a statement to Global News: “While the outcome of the vote is not what we had hoped for, we respect the decision of CUPE Local 3550 members. “We are still committed to reaching an agreement without any work stoppage.”
It said that it has not received the strike notice from the union.
“Our hope is that the union will return to the bargaining table to work with the EPSB, and recognize the uncertainty this is creating for families and students,” Alberta Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said in a statement to Global News.
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