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Prince Albert – About 70 education workers employed in schools in Shellbrook, Shell Lake, Debden, Big River and Canwood are the latest group of employees to join the Canadian Union of Public Employees.

The school workers are employed as teacher assistants, secretaries, library assistants and community school co-coordinators in the Parkland School Division. The union was certified as their bargaining agent last week.

More than 500 other school support workers in Parkland and Saskatchewan Rivers School Divisions already are represented by CUPE.

Joining CUPE always has been a positive career move for education workers, but it’s particularly important now as school divisions prepare for amalgamations,” explains CUPE staff representative Bill Robb.

There’s no question that school support workers are concerned about job security and restructuring,” he says. “They also want to see a more equitable pay system.”

Unlike teachers who negotiate provincially, school support workers are forced to bargain locally and this has created enormous inequities across school divisions, Robb states.

CUPE currently represents over 5,000 of the 8,500 school support workers in the province.

Robb expects that number will rise significantly in the coming months, as CUPE continues to organize school workers in Davidson, Hudson Bay, Nipawin, Tisdale, Aspen Grove and other school divisions.

For more information contact:
Bill Robb in Saskatoon at 382-8262 or 222-5594.