UPDATED November 4, 7 p.m.

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Fort McMurray Public and Catholic School Support Staff Set to Strike Nov. 13

FORT MCMURRAY, Alberta— Support staff with Fort McMurray’s Public and Catholic school divisions are set to strike on Nov. 13 after overwhelmingly voting to reject recommendations from Alberta’s Disputes Inquiry Board (DIB).

The Alberta Labour Relations Board conducted a vote among members of CUPE Local 2559, which represents support staff at the Catholic Division, and Local 2545, representing staff at the Public Division. The question posed was, “Do you support the recommendations of Alberta’s Disputes Inquiry Board?” An unofficial count shows 95.5 per cent of Local 2559 members and 93 per cent of Local 2545 members voted against the recommendations.

The Alberta Labour Relations Board is expected to ratify the vote results by 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 5. The union intends to issue a 72-hour strike notice to both school divisions on Wednesday, Nov. 6. CUPE Local 2559 President Danielle Danis told Harvard Media News the union will hold off on strike action until Nov. 13 out of respect for Remembrance Day.

This will be the second time support staff have issued a strike notice. Members were originally set to walk off the job on Sept. 17, but the Government of Alberta imposed a rarely-used Disputes Inquiry Process on both the divisions and the union. Under the process, neither side can take job action until the DIB issues its recommendations, which either side can then reject. If rejected, the union may be required by the Labour Board to hold a formal vote.

Danis described the government’s move as an attempt to break the strike. “The goal of the Disputes Inquiry Board was a stall tactic,” Danis said. “The government wanted to break our resolve, but all it did was kick the can down the road.”

Danis praised CUPE members for showing solidarity during the two-month delay in strike action. “Our members showed faith in both our union and our executive team,” she added. “The government’s interference goes against everything we stand for, and now they see we are all in this together.”

Danis expressed concern that the province may attempt to force support staff back to work or use other legislative tactics. Part of this worry stems from the fact that support staff at Edmonton Public Schools, a much larger division, also issued a strike notice only to face the same DIB-imposed delay. She suggested that the labour situation in Fort McMurray could be a bellwether for how the province will handle labour unrest in the provincial capital.