Last week, the Alberta Labour Relations Board released the first new applications report of July 2024. In it was an application for union certification.
Local 3350 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees filed the application on 27 June 2024.
This local represents educational support workers employed by Edmonton Public Schools. However, until now, there was a large group of support workers in Edmonton that hadn’t been represented by a union: specialized learning supports consultants.
Edmonton Public Schools employs roughly 250 specialized learning supports consultants, who help teachers and other educational workers plan or modify student programming, support transitioning between grades and programmes, and create an inclusive learning environment.
This multidisciplinary team provides services in a wide variety of areas, including speech and language, occupational therapy, physical therapy and adapted physical education, deaf and hard of hearing, vision impairment, orientation and mobility, assistive technology for learning,
mental health, and English as a second language.
The ALRB has scheduled a hearing for tomorrow, during which time, the employer will have a chance to argue why they think these workers shouldn’t be able to unionize with Local 3550.
If the ALRB approves the application, they will organize and supervise a certification vote, when the workers will have a chance to choose whether to unionize with Local 3550.
Should the workers democratically choose to unionize with Local 3550, their priority will be choose a bargaining committee, who will be tasked with negotiating a first contract for these workers.
The ALRB doesn’t archive their new application reports, so I’m including a copy of this report below.
Update (9 January 2025): The ALRB issued a certificate for these workers on 13 December 2024.
