Educational assistants in Edmonton on strike position

CUPE Local 3550 President Mandy Lamoureux speaks with Alberta Primetime host Michael Higgins about negotiations between education support workers and the province, which is at an impasse.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Michael Higgins: Your local, who I understand represents approximately 3,200 education support workers in Edmonton, voted and was prepared to go on strike before this panel of inquiry was appointed. What made your members take such a strike position?

Mandy Lamoureux: We did have an overwhelming number of members voting, 92 percent of them voted, and of that 92 percent, 97 percent voted to strike.

They haven’t seen a decent wage increase in the last 12 years, so the cost of living has risen by 30 percent and their wages haven’t matched that level. So the current offer on the table is 2.75 percent, which is a far cry from 30 percent.

MH: With the government’s appointment of a Dispute Inquiry Board (DIB) and thus the resumption of mediation, does this bring both sides closer to a negotiated settlement?

ML: We resorted to official mediation, and again, this is a mandate imposed by the government. So at the moment this is the only thing left on the table and our members are not willing to accept it.

I have a mandate from them not to settle for that 2.75 percent, and that’s what made them strike as high as they did.

MH: You consider this a delay tactic, why is this so?

ML: Yes. We saw what happened to Fort McMurray, the same thing happened to them. We felt that our right to strike had been taken away from us.

We have already gone through the formal mediation process. We know we have to go through the same process, and if that mandate is still in place, our members are not going to accept it.

MH: Your members demand respect for their work. What makes this work vital to the education system?

ML: We currently have a staffing shortage of 150 to 200 educational assistants (EAs). The positions are not filled daily, so they have to take on responsibility for several students themselves.

If an advisor does not show up on a particular day, another advisor must replace him. That’s why they get burned out, tired, overwhelmed, and therefore don’t feel respected.

It is difficult to hire staff with such low wages and difficult to retain staff with such low wages.

MH: We understand your local is not alone: ​​support workers at the Sturgeon Public Schools branch can now give 72 hours notice of a strike. What do you see here?

ML: They are likely to be imposed by the DIB as well, another delay tactic to stop our right wingers from attacking and that is why we are working closely with other local education representatives and we are all supporting each other.

MH: Is it just these two Edmonton locals? Is there still one now?

ML: It’s just that these two Edmonton and Fort McMurray locals are just completing the DIB process.

MX: What progress has been made since the appointment of this DIB last week? What does this process mean to you?

ML: We will monitor the process. We are currently collecting all the necessary information for this process. We’re going to do this the way we have to and we hope that at the end of this we can reach an agreement.

This is our aim and goal, however the 2.75 percent mandate is currently still under review. I don’t see a deal being reached.

MH: What is the likelihood of further destruction of the school? Edmonton riots, more strikes?

ML: Once the Dispute Board process is complete, we may issue the 72 hour notice again, and we will do so if we need to.