On Oct. 24, 3,200 support staff workers at Edmonton schools staged a wildcat strike. The workers were welcomed to the Alberta Union of Public Employees (AUPE) rally that same day as heroes.
And the workers were heroes: they defied the UCP government’s undemocratic ban on their right to strike. They proved that, once workers mobilized and with a lead from the top, these laws are just a meaningless sheet of paper. This is a precious lesson for the labour movement.
The support staff are some of the lowest-paid public sector workers, with an average wage below the poverty line. They have been offered crumbs for years. The union president says they have received a one dollar wage increase in 12 years, while the cost of living has gone up 34 per cent during that period. The result is that these workers can’t survive without going to food banks, or by getting a second or even a third job.
To add insult to injury, the Edmonton Public School Board (EPSB) is offering them a minuscule 2.75 per cent over four years! No wonder the strike vote was 97 per cent in favor of strike with a 92 per cent turnout.
The UCP government then stepped in, on the request of the employer, and forced an additional 30 days of “neutral” mediation through the “disputes inquiry board” process. This is back-to-work legislation under another name.
But instead of bowing down to the institutions meant to subdue the workers, the union shot back and asked all members not to report to work, in open defiance of the request of the government.
We have heard many times the argument that back-to-work legislation and other such anti-democratic measures should be respected. It is even argued that union members are too scared to defy such laws. The CUPE 3550 workers have shown that this is not true at all.
Members were galvanized by the outpouring of solidarity from other unions, including offers to pay any fines levied against them.
The rally at the legislature had thousands of people attend in what was called the biggest labour rally in Alberta’s history by CUPE. One member called it “empowering, inspiring, and emotional.” Workers from healthcare, education, Canada Post, and other unionized workplaces stood in solidarity. The local president of the postal workers’ union, CUPW, said to an RCP member, “The only way we are going to make significant change in this country is by striking and probably a general strike.”
On Oct. 25, however, the union leadership instructed its members to go back to work. This means the momentum created by this bold defiance could slip away.
We cannot let that happen. Currently, over 200,000 public sector workers in Alberta are in negotiations with the UCP government. This anti-worker government will not play nice with them. It is always like this under capitalism.
A public sector general strike of all these workers represents the logical next step for the movement.
The working class is the strongest force on earth once it is mobilized and doesn’t bend to the laws meant to break our movement. If 3,200 workers can stand up to this government of the bosses, what could 200,000 of them achieve?
Solidarity with CUPE 3550!
Build a general strike against the UCP!
We need to break the laws meant to break us!
