Last month, the Canadian Union of Public Employees Alberta released a statement say that over 400 education workers employed by the Parkland School Division had joined their union.
These workers include educational assistants, clerical workers, therapists, library workers, technology workers, and therapists. They are employed at school west of Edmonton, including Stony Plain, Spruce Grove, and the surrounding areas.
Prior to the switch, the workers belonged to the Central Alberta Association of Municipal and School Employees, an independent labour organization.
Turnout for the vote on whether to switch unions was about 80%, and of those who participated, 97.8% voted in favour of joining.
The contract between the Parkland School Division and these workers, while they were with CAAMSE, expired last August, so one of the first actions of this new bargaining unit will be negotiating a new contract.
The last wage increase they received was in September 2016, so I anticipate that wage increases will be a top priority for their new negotiating team.
CAAMSE will still represent workers employed in the Wild Rose School Division.
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