Alberta education workers reach tentative deals with 3 school districts

The union representing thousands of education support workers across Alberta has reached a tentative deal with the Edmonton Public, Fort McMurray Public and Fort McMurray Catholic school districts.

In a statement released Saturday night, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) said the deals will still need to be ratified by members and details of the agreement won't be released until workers have been able to review them.

However, the union said the tentative deals include a provision for higher wages. 

About 3,000 CUPE members have been on strike at Edmonton Public Schools since January 13 and another 1,000 members in Fort McMurray have been on strike since mid-November.

With the average education support worker earning $34,500 per year in Alberta, the union has said that wages are its main issue.

In Fort McMurray, workers will vote on the proposed deal over a 24-hour period ending Monday evening and picket lines will be paused on Monday and Tuesday. If ratified, members in Fort McMurray will return to work on Wednesday, CUPE said.

"I'm very relieved, for not only myself, but our members and other locals across the province that are still on strike as well, because hopefully this is going to help them achieve a contract very soon," said Danielle Danis, president of CUPE Local 2559. 

The union said that for workers at Edmonton Public Schools, the ratification vote will happen on Tuesday and a return to work could start on Wednesday or Thursday. No picket lines will be held in the meantime, it added.

"It was a really, really tense negotiation process for the last 48 hours," Mandy Lamoureux, president of CUPE Local 3550, said. 

"We've gotten maybe three or four hours' sleep in that 48 hours. So it was quite intense, and we are relieved that we have a tentative agreement on the table."

All three deals would give the CUPE members a contract ending in August 2028 and retroactively effective starting from Sept. 1, 2020.

Both school divisions in Fort McMurray posted statements on their websites.

"Today we are happy to share that we were able to end our week negotiating a resolution with CUPE Local 2545," Fort McMurray Public School Division said in its statement. 

"Thank you for your grace, patience and understanding ... We recognize how difficult and prolonged this situation has been for all," reads the Fort McMurray Catholic Schools' statement.

"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." 

Edmonton Public Schools told CBC in a statement emailed on Sunday that the tentative deal is a big step forward.

"We all want valued support staff back in schools and offices, doing the work we love: supporting student learning. We believe the offer presented to them acknowledges their priorities and supports their important work," the statement reads, in part.

Some families still waiting for resolution

The settlements do not apply to the 2,600 workers still on strike in the Calgary, Sturgeon, Parkland, Foothills and Black Gold school divisions, CUPE said. 

For Krystle Hoogendoorn, whose three children go to school in Parkland County's district, the continuation of the strike in her area is heartbreaking. 

Her son requires a full-time one-on-one educational assistant and her daughter was also benefiting from EA time spent improving her numeracy and literacy.

"I just hope that this is our last week. Like my son shouldn't be out on the picket line. He should be in his school," she said in an interview Sunday. 

"The thing that has really got me is [Parkland School Division's] slogan is 'Where the world opens up.' They've closed the world for their neurodivergent learners and it's very disheartening."

Hoogendoorn said she hopes that a possible deal with Parkland School Division will enable EAs to stay in the jobs they love.

"When I saw that Edmonton and Fort McMurray had reached a deal, it gave me a lot of hope," she said.