Edmonton public school support staff walk off the job, sending schools and parents scrambling
CBC
As many as 3,200 Edmonton public school support employees did not report to work Thursday to protest an impasse over wages.
The decision sent school principals rushing to tell some families to keep their kids home from class, and parents scrambling to find child care for some students with exceptional needs.
"It is our hope that the union considers the impact of this activity on students and families, chooses to discontinue what seems to be an illegal strike, and [goes] back to the bargaining table with their local school board and work toward a deal that is fair and reasonable," Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said in a statement Thursday.
In a note to parents posted on Facebook Thursday morning, Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) local 3550, which represents educational assistants, school administrative assistants, library technicians and other support workers in the public division, said its workers would be off the job despite the provincial government's move to delay a strike.
Edmonton Public School Board (EPSB) spokesperson Carrie Rosa said in a statement that the union advised its members not to report to work Thursday. Rosa said it prompted principals to make contingency plans, which included "contacting families of students who require support staff for safety reasons, advising them that for their safety, they should stay home."
Rosa did not answer questions about how many workers failed to show up for work or how many students were affected.
Some Edmonton families say the decision put them in an unpleasant predicament.
Karl Reid has three children in elementary school, two of whom are on the autism spectrum: Felix and Ollie, respectively, attend Grade 1 and Grade 4 at Balwin School in north Edmonton. Both boys rely on educational assistants, who are assigned to work with several children in their classrooms.
Ollie, however, doesn't speak in sentences and needs help going to the bathroom. On Wednesday evening, the school's principal called Reid's wife, asking the family to keep Ollie home Thursday.
Reid questioned how he was supposed to drive three children to school and then inform Ollie he was the only one not allowed to go.
"He deserves an education the same of both of his brothers," said Reid. "I felt it was discriminatory toward Ollie."
He ultimately decided to send all three kids and ask teachers to help Ollie use the bathroom.
Nicki Pasieka's husband received a similar phone call on Wednesday, asking the family not to send five-year-old Finnick to kindergarten Thursday afternoon. Finnick has Type 1 diabetes, and his teacher and educational assistant keep track of his blood sugar levels and ensure he eats a snack.
Finnick's daycare was able to take him for the whole day, Pasieka said.
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