Striking school support employees rallied at the Alberta legislature Thursday afternoon before the province tabled this year’s budget.
CUPE brought more than 50 buses full of employees from school divisions across the province and set up a bargaining table in front of the legislature.
About 6,000 school support workers, including Edmonton Public Schools education assistants, are currently on strike – with no end in sight.
“Thousands of CUPE workers are here today to say that public education is in a catastrophe at the moment,” CUPE Alberta president Rory Gill told CTV News Edmonton at the legislature.
“The reason people are on strike is they can’t support themselves.”
This year’s Alberta budget includes $185 million to hire more than 4,000 new education staff, including EAs, but the province did not say how it plans to address the strike.
“When it comes to CUPE-specific negotiations, we’re supporting the school divisions that are asking for that support,” Alberta Finance Minister Nate Horner said.
“We’ll be at the table, and if unions want to push their members to other action, we will deal with it, but it’s not something we’re looking for.”
EPSB’s support staff has been on strike since the middle of January. CUPE Local 3550 said the average education support worker earns $34,500 a year.
On Wednesday, the education minister directed schools to provide in-person classes for all students who require an educational assistant after his ministerial order which exempted schools from doing that was challenged in court earlier this month.
With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Brittany Ekelund and Evan Kenny
