Union representing Calgary school boards custodians, maintenance workers to serve strike notice [Video]

The union representing custodians and maintenance workers at two Calgary school boards is set to serve strike notice.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees says 800 workers from the Calgary Board of Education and 350 employees from the Calgary Catholic School District could hit picket lines Monday.

They join more than 4,000 school support staff who have picketed in Edmonton, Fort McMurray and Parkland County over a weeks-long wage dispute with their employers.

School boards have said strike action brings uncertainty, and Alberta Finance Minister Nate Horner has said the union is being unreasonable.

Other groups, including workers at Foothills and Black Gold school divisions, have also voted to strike and could do so at a moment’s notice.

Union president Rory Gill says he’d hoped the provincial government would respond to the strike action by increasing funding to school boards.

“That leaves us little option but to escalate the strike,” Gill said in a media statement.