Dozens of Edmonton Catholic school support workers are back on the picket line Thursday morning, but now, striking staff are taking their fight to local schools.
On Wednesday, employees started picketing outside Archbishop O’Leary High School, and will continue to do so Thursday. Until that time, they’d only had picket lines outside the Catholic School District’s head office.
Danny Burrell, speaking for the union representing the support staff, says moving the strike has a purpose.
“We decided to expand our picket strategy to get our people out into the public, so the public has an opportunity to see us, to see what our needs and our demands are.”
Negotiations between the district and the union have reached a stalemate, but Burrell says a deal might not be too far away.
“I’m sure the district is looking at their numbers trying to come up with something new,” says Burrell. “We are looking at our numbers trying to come up with something new. Both sides I think feel we’re very close and we’re hoping we can resolve this.”
916 members of the Catholic Support Staff Association left their jobs on September 10, in a dispute over wages, increased workloads and job security.
Global News learned Thursday that a number of support staff workers have crossed the picket line and have returned to the classroom. The union says some workers who previously cross the picket line have now returned to continue the strike.
On Monday evening, the workers rejected a proposal that called for a lump-sum payment rather than a raise in the second year of the two-year contract that is being negotiated.
Then, on Tuesday, more than 600 members of the union gathered with their representatives and decided to expand their picketing from beyond the board’s headquarters to selected schools.
The workers, mostly library staff, secretaries, teaching assistants and special-needs teaching assistants, have been without a contract since last fall.
The Catholic board is using employees from its central office to fill positions of the striking workers.
Lori Nagy, a spokesperson for the board, says only 12 of 40 students with severe needs attended school on Tuesday, and students who require constant supervision will not be allowed to return to class until appropriately trained replacement staff are brought in.
“It is a safety issue,” Nagy said.
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