Support staff from the Edmonton Public School Board are protesting today, just two days after the Alberta government intervened to prevent a strike.
This morning, workers gathered outside McKee School in south Edmonton and boarded yellow school buses, heading to the Alberta Legislature to voice their concerns.
The protest follows the provincial government’s decision on Tuesday to appoint an additional mediator in an effort to prevent any work disruptions. The government also invoked the Disputes Inquiry Board, which prohibits strikes or lockouts until the inquiry process is complete.
Although unable to strike, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) has organized what it calls a “political protest,” accusing the Alberta government of interfering in collective bargaining. The union says the two sides remain far apart on wage increases and is calling for more support to manage growing classroom sizes in the province’s public schools.
