In a media release published to their website yesterday, the Alberta division of the Canadian Union of Public Employees announced that education support workers in northeastern Alberta recently voted to unionize.
The more than 400 workers—which include clerical workers, educational assistants, library workers, and other specialists—are employed by the Northern Lights Public School Division.
Based out of Bonnyville, this school division oversees nearly 30 elementary, middle, and high schools in Ardmore, Bonnyville, Caslan, Cold Lake, Glendon, Iron River, Kikino, Lac La Biche, Pamodon, and Wandering River.
Workers participated in a ratification between 29 April and 1 May, and the vote count occurred on 2 May.
According to that vote count, the workers voted 76% in favour of joining Local 2559 of CUPE, which also represents education workers employed by Fort McMurray Catholic Schools, who recently ratified their newest collective agreement after going on strike for several weeks.
This unionization comes on the heels of the recent layoffs of over 130 education assistants, due to cuts to Jordan’s Principle funding from the federal government and provincial underfunding made it impossible to cover the shortfall.
