Thousands of school support staff hit Fort McMurray picket lines over wage dispute

FORT MCMURRAY, Alta. – Roughly 1,000 school support workers have hit picket lines in Fort McMurray, and union officials say the strike could go Alberta-wide by the spring if the province doesn’t act.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees says the main sticking point is wages and that its members haven’t seen a pay increase in well over a decade.

CUPE Alberta president Rory Gill says the average school support worker in Alberta earns $34,500 per year and that the latest offer of a three per cent retroactive wage increase over four years isn’t good enough.

He says strike action could extend to thousands of workers across the province in the next eight to 10 weeks if the government doesn’t provide additional funding to school divisions.

School support workers encompass staffers from custodians and administration workers to tradespeople and education assistants.

Both Catholic and public school divisions in Fort McMurray say their early childhood development programs are on hold and that both recognize the right to strike.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 7, 2025.