Month: December 2024

Specialized workers at Edmonton Public Schools join CUPE

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Press Release below was issued December 16, 2024

Specialized workers at Edmonton Public Schools join CUPE

EDMONTON – a group of 285 employees of Edmonton Public School District voted to join the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 3550.

In an Alberta Labour Board vote last week, the group of employees voted 73.4% to join the union. They will join other non-teaching employees at the district as part of CUPE.

The new CUPE members include specialized support workers in areas of diversity, including adaptive physical education, assistive technology, audiology, deaf or hard of hearing, education behaviour, English as another language, intercultural, mental health, occupational therapy, physical therapy, reading, sexual orientation and gender identity, speech-language pathology, psychology, school family liaison, social work, vision and braille.

CUPE Alberta President Rory Gill said the workers joined the union after efforts to collaborate with the employer were not solving their issues.  Gill said the workers wanted to unionize to give them a collective voice at the table regarding workplace issues.

“As part of the largest union in Canada, these workers will have all the resources and strength CUPE has to offer,” said Gill.

Statement from Rory Gill, CUPE Alberta President regarding Supporting Education Workers

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Sisters and brothers and friends.

Many of you have reached out to me in the last 24 hours and asked me where we’re at with our campaign to Support Education Workers in light of Local 474 ratifying an agreement.

Yesterday a vote was held for custodial workers in Edmonton Public Schools on a memorandum of agreement and it passed. There are 40 other education sector locals yet to go for this period of bargaining.

I’m really proud to tell you that tens of thousands of working Albertans are standing together and working together – right across our province.  Our education support sector is more united and coordinated than we have ever seen before. And we have the public across every community standing with us like never before. We’re seeing an unprecedented expression of solidarity – in the face of an unprecedented crisis.

We are strong and we are not backing down in this fight for a properly funded and publicly delivered school system in our province. We will increase pressure on the provincial government in whatever ways are necessary to get workers a fair raise that supports their families, so they can continue to do the important work of making it possible for all children in Alberta to have access to a quality public education. Those are the stakes for our communities – the future of our schools. That’s why we have never been so united and so determined to get a fair deal for education workers in Alberta.

Our sisters and brothers and friends in Fort McMurray are out in front, and I want them to know that thousands and thousands more education workers are close at hand to join you.

Our solidarity is our strength – and that strength is growing every day.

Remember to send people to SupportEducationWorkers.ca because our province-wide campaign is gearing up to bring the fight right to this government’s front door.

I’m inspired to see thousands of people working together with such passion – and we are going to get a better deal for education workers in Alberta – together.

Rory Gill
President, CUPE Alberta

 

 

 

CUPE ALBERTA SUPPORTS NEW LAW TO KEEP WORKERS’ TIPS IN THEIR POCKETS

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CUPE ALBERTA SUPPORTS NEW LAW TO KEEP WORKERS’ TIPS IN THEIR POCKETS

EDMONTON – Working Albertans should keep their tips from customers without losing some – or all – of the money to their boss, said Rory Gill, President of CUPE Alberta, speaking in support of a new law introduced in the Alberta Legislature this week.

“Thank you to Christina Gray for tabling legislation to stop businesses from being able to rip off their customers and employees. When workers receive tips, it’s to acknowledge their work, not to give the boss a bonus,” said Gill. “We’ve all seen these big tipping options on the payment screen, but it’s shocking how often the working Albertan never sees any of the money. As a customer, if you want to show respect for good service or just help a working person out, you should have confidence that they actually get the money.”

Bill 210, the Employment Standards (Protecting Workers’ Tips) Amendment Act, requires employers to pass on all tips to workers without deduction, subject to any voluntary pooling agreements made between workers. Servers and kitchen staff, for example, may choose to share pooled tips.

Six Canadian provinces already have similar legislation.

“As cash tipping becomes less and less common, it’s easy for an employer to hold onto the tip you select on the machine,” said Gill. “Albertans know that’s wrong. We need a simple law that protects workers’ tips and their right to voluntarily pool them. I strongly encourage all MLAs to support this bill and keep more money in working people’s pockets.”

Bill 210 was introduced by Alberta NDP Leader of the Opposition Christina Gray Wednesday afternoon.