EDMONTON - More than 3,000 educational support workers in Edmonton and some nearby communities could walk off the job as early as Monday.
The ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Union of Public Employees says locals representing workers with the Edmonton Public School Board and the Sturgeon Public School Division are to serve strike notice.Â
School support workers include custodians, administration staff, tradespeople and education assistants.
CUPE Local 3550 president Mandy Lamoureux says the union plans to escalate job action until the Alberta government addresses low wages.
She says the average educational support worker earns $34,500 in Alberta and that the union has been at a standstill with the province on a new deal since 2020.
Roughly 1,000 school support workers have been on the picket lines in Fort McMurray since Tuesday and union officials there warned the strike could go Alberta-wide by the spring if the province doesn't act.
Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides has said the wage increase offers of three per cent over four years are appropriate for this round of bargaining and it is "unreasonable" for the union to demand more.
This report by ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø was first published Jan. 9, 2025.
