Sturgeon Public Schools workers vote 94% for strike action

Support workers in a public school department immediately north of Edmonton have voted to take strike action.

The 250 Sturgeon Public Schools Division of Education support workers in CUPE Local 4625 voted 94 percent to take strike action in Friday’s vote, which had a 93 percent turnout rate, the local representative said Tuesday in a media note.

The Alberta Labor Relations Board certified the results, a local said, allowing it to give school management 72 hours’ notice of the strike.

Kelly Salisbury, the community’s president, said in a statement that the main issue for members was pay, adding that they had “tolerated eight years of zeros,” pointing out that they had not received a raise during that time.

“Students are our absolute top priority, but the inability to pay bills is impacting members at home, making work unstable,” Salisbury said.

Members of CUPE Local 4625 include educational assistants, cafeteria workers, office clerks, library clerks, therapy assistants, library technicians, cafeteria technicians, accounting clerks, professional assistants, department administrative assistants and licensed practical nurses.

Sturgeon Public School Division, headquartered 35 kilometers north of Edmonton in the town of Morinville, comprises 18 schools serving approximately 5,200 students in communities including Bon Accord, Legal, Camilla, Namao, Gibbons and Redwater.

The vote result was announced a week after the Alberta government stepped in to establish a dispute inquiry board to mediate an agreement between the Edmonton Public School Board (EPSB) and the local support workers organization, CUPE Local 3550.

EPSB asked the Minister of Labor, Economy and Trade to appoint a commission of inquiry, as a neutral third party. Because this was determined before the strike began, the local community cannot strike and employers cannot place workers until the investigation is completed.

Some EPSB support staff he left work on Thursday in a political protest against provincial wage mandates and what they call “interference in collective bargaining.”