New deals signal end of Alberta's school support worker strike

Emily Williams · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 17, 2025 10:52 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

Education enactment workers who person been connected onslaught for weeks are entertaining caller declaration offers which could spot them soon instrumentality to Alberta classrooms. 

A bid of approved and tentative deals person been reached betwixt members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees and section schoolhouse boards, signalling the extremity of a prolonged labour dispute.

The national has been demanding what it calls just wages for the thousands of enactment workers it represents crossed Alberta and began staging strikes 2 months ago. 

School enactment workers see acquisition assistants, librarians, licensed applicable nurses, interpreters, cafeteria workers and medication staff. Their lack from classrooms near schools scrambling to capable the spread successful staffing and enactment services, particularly for students with higher needs. 

In a connection Tuesday, national officials said a tentative statement has been reached for workers astatine Parkland School District. 

At Parkland School District, an physics ratification ballot volition commencement Tuesday day among members of CUPE Local 5543, with results to beryllium announced on Wednesday evening. If members o.k. the agreement, they volition beryllium backmost to enactment successful schools connected Thursday, national officials said.

CUPE 3550 members astatine Edmonton Public Schools volition ballot connected their statement connected Wednesday. About 3,000 CUPE 3550 members person been connected onslaught astatine Edmonton Public since early January. If the members judge the settlement, they volition instrumentality to enactment connected Thursday.  

In Fort McMurray, acquisition enactment workers approved a caller contract and volition instrumentality to enactment Wednesday.

In a connection released Monday night, CUPE said members ratified agreements with the Fort McMurray Public and Fort McMurray Catholic schoolhouse districts. It comes aft 1,000 members in Fort McMurray walked disconnected the occupation successful mid-November. 

A tentative woody has besides been reached for workers with the Calgary Board of Education, the national announced Tuesday.

CUPE spokesperson Lou Arab said the national volition not beryllium releasing elaborate results of the vote.

The details of each declaration person yet to beryllium released. CUPE officials accidental the contracts ratified truthful acold are for terms ending successful August 2028, and for a wage bundle higher than what the authorities initially offered.

The details of the corporate agreements volition go publically disposable successful the coming days.

In Tuesday's statement, CUPE Alberta President Rory Gill said helium was pleased much schoolhouse districts are pursuing workers successful Fort McMurray and Edmonton successful negotiating and approving caller deals.

"Education enactment workers person shown large courageousness and determination," Gill said. "I'm truthful blessed for them that they person won the respect they deserve."