Student Support Staff at Edmonton Public School District are calling on the government to recognize them as critical workers. Members of CUPE Local 3550 are speaking out after a number of education workers were excluded from the Critical Worker Benefit – a $1200 lump sum payment promised to those who have worked on the front lines during the pandemic.

“It’s a slap in the face,” said CUPE Local 3550 President Jorge Illanes. “Throughout this pandemic we have showed up to work, we have sacrificed our health to ensure that students get the critical supports they need and now the UCP tells us we’re not all critical workers.”

Earlier this year, the UCP government announced a new Critical Worker Benefit to compensate essential workers in a range of public and private sectors, including workers in the Education Sector. However, arbitrary eligibility criteria means only a portion of Student Support Staff are eligible, despite them all working on the front lines.

“It’s offensive,” said Illanes. “The government has bungled this entire program. How can we be working shoulder to shoulder throughout the pandemic, and only a portion of us are recognized as critical workers?”

The limiting criteria for the benefit includes a 300-hour threshold that allowed for the exclusion of precarious workers.  These workers are not offered weekly full-time hours, which in the Education Sector is 7 or less hours per day. Other support staff were indiscriminately deemed as non-student contact classifications and were also excluded.  This was done despite the school board arguing in favour of including them and requesting revisions to the government’s criteria.

“We have to speak up. I’m calling on all of our members, and the public to tell the government that education workers are front line workers and call on them to ensure we all receive the Critical Workers Benefit,” said Illanes.

You can join the fight, and send a letter to the UCP by visiting https://3550.cupe.ca/

At the CUPE Alberta annual convention on Thursday morning, delegates voted overwhelmingly to support the candidacy of Bea Bruske, Siobhan Vipond and Lily Chang for positions on the executive of the Canadian Labour Congress. The election is taking place at the CLC virtual convention on June 16-18.

The motion from the floor, put forward by CUPE Alberta Recording Secretary John Vradenburgh came following presentations from the three Team Unite candidates. “I liked the ideas that Bea, Siobhan and Lily are bringing to the table, and I am excited for their election at the upcoming CLC convention,” said Vradenburgh.

CUPE Alberta President Rory Gill accepted the motion and put it straight to a vote with 96% delegates voting in favour: “I meant what I said on the convention floor, Team Unite is made up of three incredible labour leaders, they really are a super slate. I am glad to see our membership coming forward to show them our strong support,” said Gill.

Bea Bruske is running for CLC President, Siobhan Vipond is running for CLC Executive Vice-President and CUPE’s own Lily Chang is running for CLC Secretary-Treasurer. To learn more about Team Unite, click here.

National Secretary-Treasurer Charles Fleury brought a clear message to the  CUPE Alberta Convention: CUPE has the resources we need to back the important fights we face.

With thousands of members laid off, we had to find operational savings – and every single budget line was reviewed, line by line. “Because of this effort, I am extremely proud to say we will maintain almost all services and programs in the coming year.”

Fleury noted that this would include CUPE Alberta’s fight to protect union rights against Bill 32, as well as helping elect worker-friendly candidates in the municipal elections this fall.  Last year, CUPE National funded $1.6 million for division campaigns.

“With CUPE’s solid financial foundation, I am positive: we will be able to face the challenges ahead.”

CUPE National President Mark Hancock spoke to CUPE Alberta Convention delegates saying the pandemic has highlighted the importance of undervalued workers, and presents opportunities as we start to rebuild in the wake of COVID-19.

“As much as we talk about wanting to get back to normal, we also know that normal wasn’t actually good enough. We can’t go back to normal – we need to come back much stronger than that.”

Hancock emphasized the need to fight for a social safety net that meets the needs of our times, as we look at a possible federal election this year.

“Long-term care centres faced tragic and horrifying outbreaks that needlessly took the lives of far too many. It’s unacceptable that in 2021 we’re still forcing people to go to work sick in the middle of a pandemic because they can’t afford to miss a shift. And it’s shameful we have not had the necessary income supports for Canadians when they lose their job through no fault of their own.”

Hancock took aim at “business as usual” from Jason Kenney’s Conservative government.

“While they cut from our schools, our hospitals, our post-secondary institutions, and our municipalities, they’re handing out $4.7 billion to profitable corporations.”

“Jason Kenney’s priorities are completely upside down!”

CUPE Alberta President Rory Gill opened his report to the CUPE Alberta Convention by recognizing the incredible challenge that the last year has been for all of us, but also the way that CUPE members have stepped up to meet those challenges.

“The more adversity we’ve faced, the stronger we’ve become, together and it’s together that we will keep getting stronger and overcome the challenges of these times, no matter how daunting and tough they may be.”

Gill said that the actions of the provincial government and UCP MLAs have also made the year even harder – refusing to reduce class sizes, ignoring advice from health officials, and topping it all off by putting Albertans at risk for the sake of a few days on the beach.

“I have said it many times and will keep saying it until the day the UCP is sent packing by the people of Alberta; the only thing Jason Kenney is good at is making things worse!”

Gill also saluted all of the front-line workers in the province putting themselves at risk every day, thanking them for their service and dedication.

“In CUPE when we say we honour front line workers, we mean it and we follow through by fighting for decent pay, safe working conditions, good benefits and fair and secure retirement.”

Gill explained that Kenney’s latest budget not only cuts education, health care, and many other essential services, but cuts them to pay for corporate tax cuts, bad investments, and poor government.

“The budget is backwards, broken and making life harder for most Albertans.”

Gill emphasized that CUPE Alberta isn’t standing still, but is fighting back with an ambitious campaign of education and mobilization, which has expanded CUPE’s reach and made a difference.

“We have to keep educating Albertans about the damage Jason Kenney is doing to our province, and we have to activate people to work hard to throw this dangerous, radical government out.”

Gill closed by pointing out that Kenney’s union-busting Bill 32 is also backfiring and will never shut CUPE up.

“Jason Kenney’s going to regret this bill as we speak with every single CUPE member in Alberta about the damage it’s doing.”