Wadena: Education workers in the Wadena School Division are back on the picket line today, to back their demands for a fair collective agreement.
The 80 school support workers represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees, began rotating job action on April 9 to pressure the employer to drop its demands for reduced seniority rights and other concessions. They have been on the picket line for a total of 11 days.
The CUPE members are seeking a significant wage increase to bring them up to the average wage paid to unionized school workers in the province. They also want the school division to provide better benefits, as right now they have no optical or dental coverage.
The strike affects schools in Kelvington, Rose Valley, Quill Lake, Archerwill, Wadena, Lintlaw and the Quill Lake Hutterite Colony.
The support workers are employed as teacher assistants, secretaries, caretakers, library assistants and other positions in the school division. Their collective agreement expired on December 31, 2000.
- 30 -
For more information contact:
CUPE spokesperson Sheila Bindig at 338-7220