Alberta CUPE president says UCP claims of national interference in local bargaining ‘outrageous’

School support workers, belonging to CUPE 3550, strike in Edmonton in January 2025. (Evan Klippenstein / CTV News Edmonton)

The Alberta government is accusing a national union of interfering in local negotiations, something the leader of the union’s provincial arm calls “outrageous.”

On Tuesday, the ministers of finance and treasury board issued a joint statement on the current public bargaining process between Alberta schools and education support staff.

Roughly 4,000 workers are already on strike in Edmonton and Fort McMurray, and five more groups participated in strike votes between Feb. 9 and 11.

That includes Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) members in the Parkland County and Black Gold School divisions east and south of Edmonton, respectively, as well as Calgary public and Catholic schools workers.

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In the letter, the ministers accused CUPE of pressuring a nursing agency to stop providing services at schools and forcing children in need of medications like insulin to stay home.

It also alleges it had to issue an injunction to prevent “union activists” from blocking school buses in the Sturgeon School Division.

“Alberta’s government and school boards have shown up to the table to find a path forward, but CUPE National leaders clearly have ulterior motives that are not in the best interests of their members or Alberta students,” the ministers said.

CUPE Alberta president Rory Gill called the joint statement “full of falsehoods and baseless attacks.”

“The UCP government that repeatedly claims it is not involved in bargaining with education support workers is very quick to comment on the matter,” Gill’s response read in part.

“Once again, rather than step up to the plate and negotiate a solution to the classroom problems they have caused, the government chooses a smear campaign.”

Gill said the nursing agency Nurse Next Door claimed it decided to withdraw services from Edmonton Public Schools when it realized it would be replacing striking workers.

In regards to claims over school bus disruptions, Gill denied there was an injunction. Instead, he said the union and school district entered into an agreement that picketing would not delay buses.

A Feb. 6 consent order from the Alberta Relations Board outlines the agreement between the union and the school division, made in response to a cease and desist application brought by the Sturgeon School Division on Jan. 31.

“This is a normal part of the labour board’s role in helping unions and employers reach agreements during labour disputes,” Gill’s statement said.

In the ministers' letter, ministers Demetrios Nicolaides and Nate Horner also accused CUPE of deregistering CUPE Local 829 in Medicine Hat to prevent a ratification vote.

Gill said that’s incorrect; Local 829 was put under administration for reasons unrelated to bargaining, he added, meaning all executive members and committees were disbanded.

Despite being informed that it was under administration, Gill said the former bargaining committee chose to meet with the school district.

“Therefore the deal they signed has no force or effect,” Gill’s statement read, adding the administrator will continue bargaining with the school district until further notice.

A recent online opinion survey for CUPE carried out by Environics Research found the majority of the 1,002 participants support the current job action being taken by education school support staff.

That included 53 per cent of participants who support the United Conservative Party, with 28 per cent of UCP supporters siding with the province and 19 per cent unsure.

The majority of both the general public and UCP supporters agreed that education workers in Alberta are underpaid and deserve wage increases, and that students will suffer if workers continue to be underpaid.