Fort McMurray School Support Staff Hold Vote as Possible Strike Looms
Fort McMurray, AB—There are new developments in the potential strike by support staff with Fort McMurray’s Catholic and Public School Divisions. Earlier this month the Province’s Dispute Inquiry Board made recommendations aimed at ending the contract stalemate. The Canadian Union of Provincial Employees (CUPE) representing support workers issued a letter rejecting the recommendations, however, the Alberta Labour Relations Board is calling for an online vote of union membership. Members of CUPE Locals 2559 and 2545 will begin casting their votes online Friday, November 1 and conclude voting on Monday, November 4, at 4 p.m.
Should members vote to reject the provincial recommendation, CUPE plans to issue another 72-hour strike signaling the start of job action. Although union representatives have yet to finalize an exact strike date, discussions have set November 13 as the most likely date for job action, but a strike could begin as early as November 8th.
The Fort McMurray Public School Division has issued a notice to parents and guardians updating their position on the labour dispute.
If members reject the provincial recommendations, it will be the second time CUPE has issued a strike notice. Support staff were set to walk off the job on September 17th before the Government of Alberta intervened in the job action.