With the Foothills School Division (FSD) support staff strike nearing the one-week mark, members of CUPE Local 5040 from across the area gathered in downtown High River on Friday, Feb. 28 to picket in front of FSD's main office.
The union, representing 300 education support staff, issued 72-hour strike notice late last week after voting in favour of job action earlier this month, with the strike commencing on Feb. 24.
Non-teacher career and technology instructors, data facilitators, educational assistants, learning commons facilitators, office administrators, secretaries and youth development coaches are among the FSD staff taking part in the strike.
They're among around 6,000 school support staff currently on strike across Alberta, including employees of the Black Gold School Division, Calgary Board of Education, Calgary Catholic School Division, Edmonton Public School Board, Fort McMurray Public School Division, Fort McMurray Catholic School District, Parkland School Division and Sturgeon Public School Division.
The day prior (Feb. 27), support staff from across the province rallied in front of the Alberta Legislature Building in Edmonton, with over 50 buses full of striking workers arriving at the legislature to demand that the government participate in bargaining with them.
In an open letter published by the Western Wheel, CUPE Local 5040 president Carla Penhalagan invited FSD to stand with Local 5040 against the provincial government, which is widely considered to have a "secret mandate" influencing wage negotiations behind closed doors.
CUPE Local 5040's tentative picketing schedule is as follows:
Okotoks: Foothills Composite High School - 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Monday/Wednesday)
Okotoks: Dr. Morris Gibson School - 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Tuesday/Thursday)
Diamond Valley: Oilfield High School - 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Monday/Wednesday)
Diamond Valley: C. Ian McLaren School - 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Tuesday/Thursday)
High River: Highwood High School - 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (Monday/Wednesday)
High River: Spitzee Elementary School - 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Tuesday/Thursday)
