Education support workers hit the picket line in Calgary, near Edmonton [Video]

More than 1,100 education support workers in Calgary walked off the job Monday morning, joining thousands of their colleagues across Alberta who are already on the picket line.

The striking workers include custodial and maintenance workers, facility operators, heavy duty mechanics, locksmiths and ground maintenance staff from the Calgary Board of Education, Calgary Catholic School District and Foothills School Division.

They join about 4,000 education support workers from the Edmonton area, Fort McMurray and Sturgeon County, who have already been on strike for more than a month.

Hundreds of the unionized employees, who are members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, gathered outside the McDougall Centre in Calgary early Monday morning in a show of solidarity.

CUPE Alberta President, Rory Gill, said the main item in dispute is wages, which he claims are not enough to live on, forcing many members to work multiple jobs.

“These workers are tired of …