Edmonton education staff rally at Alberta legislature for ‘Education Day of Action’

As education support staff rallied at the Alberta legislature Saturday, CUPE 3550 president Mandy Lamoureux said members deserve a 'liveable wage' and warned of strike action.

More than 200 Edmonton educational staff gathered at the Alberta legislature grounds Saturday rallying for wage increases and suitable working conditions.

Contract negotiations are underway for CUPE 3550, the union representing Edmonton’s educational assistants, administration staff and librarians.

Leeanne Cole-Fandrich has been an educational assistant with Edmonton Public Schools for 23 years. She says it’s been challenging for her to support students when classrooms are overcrowded and resources are scarce.

“We’re trying to keep these kids focused and on task and doing what they can to their ability but there’s not enough of us,” she said. “We run all over the school, do many different jobs and I don’t think people who aren’t in education really understand what we do.”

Cole-Fandrich says she frequently has to skip breaks and is pulled in multiple directions to support students in three or four different classrooms at once.

She believes she’s severely underpaid for her line of work. She says many of her colleagues are often working a second or third job to pay for basic necessities.

“I could work construction (for better pay). I work construction in the summer. I mean, half of us have two jobs during the school year,” she said.

The president of CUPE 3550 Mandy Lamoureux says while salaries vary, the average annual pay for many of her members sits at around $27,000.