A 72-hour strike notice will likely be issued if workers reject the offers, which CUPE has urged its membership to do.
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Educational assistants and support workers at Fort McMurray’s public and Catholic schools are voting on offers there bargaining committees rejected last month. A 72-hour strike notice will likely be issued if workers also vote against the offers. Polls opened Friday and run until Monday at 4 p.m.
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“We’re hearing loud and clear from our membership that they won’t accept a deal that doesn’t address the inflated cost of living, and we strongly support every member’s decision to vote ‘no’,” said CUPE Local 2559 president Danielle Danis, which represents Catholic school staff, in a statement.
A strike was expected to begin on Sept. 17 and involve 1,065 educational assistants, librarians, administrative and maintenance staff, and custodians with the two CUPE locals representing public and Catholic school workers.
On the eve of the strike, the province delayed the move by appointing a Dispute Inquiry Board (DIB), which added another 30 days of negotiations. On Oct. 17, CUPE’s leadership called the DIB’s recommendations a “slap in the face” to workers and urged its members to reject the offers.
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The DIB offered CUPE Local 2545, which represents public school staff, hourly increases to shift differentials between $0.49 and $0.55. The union wanted $2 to $3 for three years, and a $6 increase spread across three years. They were offered a 3.5 per cent total wage increase. Their last wage increase was a 1.25 per cent boost in 2020.
The union also wanted all staff to work on Professional Learning Fridays (PLFs). EAs do not work on these days, adding nine unpaid days to the academic year. Recommendations did not address changes to time in lieu, which used to be available during school days, or that overtime pay double instead of being 1.75 times larger.
A two-tier wage proposal was removed by the DIB. This proposal would see hourly wage cuts between $1.10 and $4.07 for new EAs, custodial staff and maintenance workers, and offer no wage increases for existing staff.
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CUPE Local 2559 was offered a $175 annual honorarium. The members had asked for an $8 hourly raise spread across four years and wage parity with their counterparts in the public board. They have not been offered a raise since 2015.
They were also offered a total 3.5 per cent wage increase. Health spending benefits was offered a bump to $700 from $600, but Local 2559 wanted $800. The DIB agreed to three paid and two unpaid personal days, and one day for carry-over. They also agreed to cover up to $125 for swimming gear for staff participating in a school’s swim program.
“We did not negotiate this settlement. If we do not fight back now for our right to bargain freely and fairly, we will continue to be pushed around. We urge members to vote ‘no’ on this offer,” said CUPE Local 2545 president Lynn Fleet in a statement.
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vmcdermott@postmedia.com
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