Calgary public and Catholic schools could be without their custodial, and other maintenance staff as early as Monday.
About 800 Calgary Board of Education (CBE) employees with CUPE Local 40, and 350 Calgary Catholic School District (CSSD) employees with CUPE Local 520, both voted 94 per cent in favour of a strike last week, issuing a 72-hour notice Wednesday morning.
“It’s a last resort,” said CUPE spokesperson Lou Arab. “A lot of our members feel they don’t have any choice because they are watching the state of education deteriorate in the province.”
CUPE says the average Alberta school support worker makes $34,500 annually and many have gone almost a decade without a raise.
Arab adds it is not uncommon for the workers to have second or third jobs or rely on a food bank.
The Calgary custodial staff, including cleaners, facility operators, heavy duty mechanics, locksmiths and ground maintenance staff, will join 4,000 other school support workers on the picket line across the province.
Support workers with Parkland, Black Gold school divisions vote to strike
CUPE said it is a move to show school boards and the provincial government they are serious about wage increases for their members, but acknowledges there will be impacts to students and staff.
“Repairs are not going to happen, or if they do happen, they’ll be delayed,” said Arab.
“The schools will be messier, they won’t be cleaned as much… it will be unhealthier.”
The CBE and CSSD say both are committed to negotiating in good faith during the work stoppage and will keep schools open.
In a statement to Global News, CBE says it “will be prioritizing in-person learning… (and) are committed to keeping schools safe for all students and staff and applying with AHS guidelines and occupational health and safety regulations. This means that schools will be cleaned after dismissal.”
It goes on to say a full list of the impacts and measures that will be put in place can be found on the CBE website.
A CSSD statement reads in part, “our priority is to minimize any disruptions for our students and staff. We have a contingency plan in place to maintain safety and cleanliness in our schools.”
The impacts from the strike could be felt beyond the school day. Groups that rent school space for community activities, sports, or clubs may find their access impacted if there is no staff after hours to let them in.