More than 1,000 Calgary education support workers vote for job action
Posted Feb 12, 2025 7:06 am.
Last Updated Feb 21, 2025 7:01 am.
At least 1,000 education support workers in Calgary could be headed to the picket lines after union members voted overwhelming in favour of job action.
Members of five CUPE locals went to the polls across the province Monday and Tuesday.
The union says unofficial results have 800 custodial and maintenance employees at the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) voting 94.5 per cent in favour of job action and 350 custodial and maintenance employees at the Calgary Catholic School Division (CCSD) voting 94 per cent in favour of job action.
Neighbouring Foothills School Division, which covers Okotoks, High River, and much of Foothills County, had 300 educational assistants and support staff employees voting 82 per cent in favour of job action.
A CBE spokesperson says once the results of the vote are validated, CUPE members will be in a position to go on strike within 72 hours. This means the union could withdraw services as soon as Monday, Feb. 17.
The public school division says it is attempting to bargain in good faith and avoid a strike. Those meetings are scheduled for Feb. 12 and 13.
If a strike does take place, CBE says it will work to minimize the impact of students.
“During any strike action, CBE will be prioritizing in-person learning,” the division said. “All CBE schools and buildings will remain open and classes will continue.
“However, a strike will have an impact on schools and operations.”
Elsewhere in the province, 570 educational assistants and support staff employees of Black Gold School Division near Edmonton, voted 95 per cent in favour of a strike, and Parkland School Division, in Stony Plain, saw 400 educational assistants and support staff employees vote 91 per cent in favour of job action.
CUPE president Rory Gill says the strong strike mandate from all five groups is a sign the province needs to take steps to improve education funding in next week’s budget.
He adds that Alberta has the lowest per-student education funding of any province in the country.
“We’ve been telling the government that if they don’t address the funding problems in our classrooms, the strikes will expand,” said Gill. “They did not address the funding problems, and now the strikes will expand.”
Over 4,000 education support staff have been on strike in Fort McMurray and Edmonton since the beginning of January.
