The Service Employees International Union (SEIU-West) gave the South East Cornerstone Public School Division a 48-hour notice of strike action at 11 a.m. on Monday, April 20.
“That means the strike will begin at 11 a.m. on Wednesday (today),” said Barbara Cape, president of the union’s chapter, that represents about 250 education support workers in southeast Saskatchewan.
Following a Saturday afternoon rally in Weyburn that attracted about 175 people, SEIU’s bargaining team contacted Cornerstone’s negotiating committee to see if there would be an invitation to meet once again with a revised proposal.
“The response they received was that there was no desire and no proposed changes,” said Cape.
The offer that now stands for the SEIU members is a four per cent increase in wages over two years. A similar deal had been signed late last year by members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), who work in the Cornerstone School Division as well.
“Once we commence strike action, it will be across the board. There won’t be any rotating strikes, or work-to-rule activities,” said Cape.
When the picket lines and signs go up, it will mark a precedent for SEIU insofar as they have never instigated strike action against a school division before.
“It will be a new thing for us,” said Cape.
The rally in Weyburn at the local Legion auditorium saw Cape address the gathering that included not only union members but also members of the public including parents, grandparents of students and some students themselves.
Also speaking to the group were Lori Johb, secretary-treasurer for the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour; Tom Graham, president of CUPE Saskatchewan; Debbie Hubbick, from the Weyburn and District Labour Council and John Dzupa, deputy CEO of the provincial New Democratic Party who also served as spokesman for NDP MLA Trent Wotherspoon, the party’s education critic.
“With no compromise and no indication of any interest in it, this strike has to be our next step,” said Cape.
If there is an eleventh-hour connection or offer to re-enter discussions, Cape said SEIU would probably be willing to call off the strike on short notice, but that didn’t seem to be likely.
“This means the ball is in their court,” said Cape. “The rally turnout was beyond our expectations. It provided our bargaining committee and employees a chance to stand together and realize that they are not working in isolation. There was a lot of positive energy in the room,” she said. “We know students and their parents appreciate and benefit from the diverse roles of those who work in education support.”
Cape pointed out that education assistants are just one sector in the school system represented by SEIU and CUPE and their numbers have been reduced by over 350 in the past few years. Besides education assistants, SEIU members include library technicians, custodians, maintenance journeypersons, kitchen and cafeteria staff, administrative assistants and school bus drivers in Weyburn, Estevan and 14 other rural communities in southeast Saskatchewan.
