Deals Reached in Fort McMurray Education Strikes, Ratification Vote Expected Monday
FORT MCMURRAY, Alta. — Education support workers in Fort McMurray may return to work as early as Wednesday following the announcement of tentative agreements between CUPE locals and the Fort McMurray Catholic and public school divisions.
The deals, reached late Saturday, must be ratified by members of CUPE Local 2545, representing support staff in the Fort McMurray Public School Division (FMPSD), and CUPE Local 2559, representing workers in the Fort McMurray Catholic School Division (FMCSD). Electronic voting will take place from Sunday night through Monday night, with results expected shortly after voting closes.
If the agreements are ratified, both school divisions have announced that education support staff will return to work on Wednesday, March 19, allowing for a full resumption of regular classes. Contingency plans at the public school division will remain in place for Monday and Tuesday, meaning some schools will have classes closed as teachers rotate to assist students with higher needs. However, there will be no traditional picket lines during the voting period.
“We are happy to share that we were able to end our week negotiating a resolution with CUPE Local 2545,” FMPSD stated in a release on Saturday. “We are hopeful that regular classes will continue on Wednesday for all students.”
Similarly, FMCSD expressed optimism in its statement, calling the tentative resolution a significant step toward ending the prolonged job action.
“We are extremely grateful that a tentative resolution has been found that may bring all students and our valued support staff back to school as soon as possible,” the division said.
Both CUPE and the school divisions have indicated that no details of the settlements will be released until the agreements have been formally ratified. However, CUPE Alberta president Rory Gill noted that the wage agreements secured in the Fort McMurray settlements exceed the original mandates imposed by the Alberta government and extend through August 2028.
Colleen Tatum, a parent advocate and mother of children with special needs, says she’s pleased the district and unions worked out an agreement. Tatum is active on the Facebook group Don’t I Matter, an organic collection of parents of children with differing scholastic needs.
“While we are pleased kids can return to school, I also recognize that this likely does not address the deeper issues of lack of support and continued injustice to disabled kids across Alberta,” said Tatum, adding that these children have faced educational barriers even before the strike.
Tatum says she, as a parent, was deeply hurt by how quiet the Government of Alberta was, and even other parents whose children were not asked to stay home during the strike.
Approximately 1,000 CUPE education workers in Fort McMurray have been on strike since mid-November 2024. Deals were also reached Friday for Edmonton Public Schools, with their ratification vote set for early in the week and a targeted return to work on Wednesday or Thursday.
While the agreements mark progress in resolving some of Alberta’s ongoing education strikes, bargaining remains unresolved for roughly 2,600 support workers in other school divisions, including Calgary, Sturgeon, Parkland, Foothills, and Black Gold. Gill indicated that those locals would be returning to the bargaining table as quickly as possible to secure similar deals.
In a unique tip of the hat to Fort McMurray CUPE members, Gill said, “I’m in awe of the workers in Fort McMurray who stood their ground, in weather as cold as minus 51 degrees, to win a fair contract. Their fortitude, their determination, and their solidarity won the day.”
Final ratification results are expected Monday night.