Not asking for a lot: Thousands of school support workers on strike in Edmonton area [Video]

Education support workers gathered under pitch-black pre-dawn skies in Edmonton and nearby communities Monday to go on strike in a wage dispute with their employers.

The workers, bundled in coats and scarves while holding up signs and placards, demanded what they call livable wages from the Edmonton Public School Board and Sturgeon Public School Division.

School support workers include education assistants, cafeteria workers and administration staff.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees says some 3,000 staff were off the job in Edmonton. In the Sturgeon division, just north of the provincial capital, another 200 workers were on rotating strike action and working to rule.

“Our members are not able to sustain life right now,” said CUPE Local 3550 president Mandy Lameroux.

Lameroux has said the average education support worker in Alberta earns $34,500 per year. The union is being offered a 2.75 per cent raise retroactive to 2020, which equates to 1.25 per cent for 2023 and …