Sturgeon Public Schools is backing the workers, with 94% voting in favor of strike action

Support workers at the public school division immediately north of Edmonton have voted to take strike action.

The 250 education support workers of the Sturgeon Public School Division in CUPE Local 4625 voted in favor of taking strike action on Friday in a vote with a 93 percent turnout, 94 percent in favor of taking strike action, locals said in a news release Tuesday.

Once the Alberta Labor Board confirms the results, the school division can announce a 72-hour strike.

Kelly Salisbury, the local president, said in the release that wages are the most important issue for members, adding that they have “tolerated eight years of zeros,” indicating they have not received a raise in that time.

“Students are our absolute top priority, but the inability to pay the bills is impacting members at home, making the job untenable,” Salisbury said.

Membership in CUPE Local 4625 includes teaching assistants, cafeteria clerks, office clerks, library clerks, therapy assistants, library technicians, cafeteria technicians, accounting clerks, vocational assistants, division administrative assistants and certified practical nurses.

The Sturgeon Public School Division, headquartered 35 kilometers north of Edmonton in the town of Morinville, includes 18 schools attended by approximately 5,200 students in communities including Bon Accord, Legal, Camilla, Namao, Gibbons and Redwater.

The outcome of the vote comes a week after the Alberta government stepped in to appoint a dispute resolution committee to mediate an agreement between the Edmonton Public School Board (EPSB) and local support workers, CUPE Local 3550.

The EPSB has submitted an application to the Minister of Employment, Economy and Trade for a commission of inquiry, a neutral third-party process. Because it was established before the strike began, locals are not allowed to strike and employers cannot lock out their workers until the investigation is completed.

A number of EPSB support staff Left the job on Thursday in a political protest against provincial wage mandates and what they called “interference in collective bargaining.”