FORT MCMURRAY, Alta. — Schools across Fort McMurray’s Public and Catholic divisions will soon be without support staff. Beginning Tuesday, January 7, CUPE Locals 2559 and 2545 are escalating their job action to a full strike.
CUPE, which represents education assistants, custodians, administrative staff, and other school support workers, announced the shift from a rotating strike to a full strike after what they describe as years of stagnating wages. Workers will remain on the picket lines until new contracts are reached with the respective divisions.
Rory Gill, President of CUPE Alberta, said the expanded job action is a response to the provincial government’s failure to address low wages for support workers across Alberta. According to Gill, support staff in Fort McMurray have not seen significant wage increases for years.
“The wages of these workers haven’t improved in over a decade,” said Gill. “They need a substantial increase to make up the ground lost to inflation.”
According to the published collective agreements, in the Catholic division, education assistants start at $21.87 per hour, while administrative support workers earn as little as $13.44 per hour—below Alberta’s minimum wage of $15 per hour. In the Public division, an entry-level district support worker earns $24.42 per hour, and custodians, the lowest-paid union members, earn $22.65 per hour.
Gill emphasized that low wages are a province-wide issue, noting that the average annual salary for Alberta’s school support workers is just over $34,500. Workers in Edmonton Public Schools are also in the midst of a contract dispute, adding to the growing frustration among support staff across the province.
The strike is expected to cause significant disruptions for students and families in Fort McMurray as schools will be without essential support services until a resolution is reached.
CUPE is calling on the province and school divisions to address wage concerns and return to the bargaining table.