Regina education support workers vote in favour of strike

The union representing education support workers employed by Regina Public Schools said Tuesday it has received a strike mandate from its members.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 3766 said in a media release that education support workers have voted 95 per cent in favour to strike. A union communications person couldn’t say how many people cast ballots in the voting.

“The local has been bargaining for over two years, and little progress has been made,” the union said in the release.

According to the union, the next step in the process is mediation.

Local 3766 represents administration staff, cafeteria workers, nutritionists, language assistants, librarians and educational assistants, among others.

“Our schools work because we do,” Jackie Christianson, the local’s president, said in the media release. “It is time that the Regina Public School Board recognizes this at the bargaining table.”

The union’s statement said its issues with the board cover everything from wages to health and dental benefits to occupational health and safety.

Teachers in Saskatchewan have noted the funding increases provided by the provincial government to the education sector in the 2019 budget only restored the funding to the level it was at two years earlier.

In Tuesday’s media release, Local 3766 said those cuts had made bargaining “challenging” in recent years.

“Our members are dealing with complex student needs, facing increasing violence in the workplace, and having to provide more support with fewer resources,” Christianson said.