DAVIDSON, SK- About 75 education workers employed in the Davidson Public School Division are the newest members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). The new CUPE members include teacher assistants, bus drivers, caretakers and secretaries. The labour relations board certified CUPE as the school workers’ bargaining agent on July 7th.
“We’re very pleased that so many school workers are choosing to join CUPE,” says union organizer Bill Robb, adding it reflects the union’s extensive bargaining experience in this sector.
CUPE currently represents more than 5,000 workers in the K-12 system in Saskatchewan. It also represents another 2,500 workers at the University of Saskatchewan and University of Regina.
“Joining CUPE always has been a positive career move for education workers, but it’s particularly important now as school divisions prepare to amalgamate,” explains Robb.
“School workers are concerned about job security and restructuring,” he says. “They also want to achieve a more equitable pay system.”
Unlike teachers who negotiate provincially, school support workers are forced to bargain locally and that’s created enormous wage inequities across school divisions.
CUPE currently represents over 60% of all school workers in the province. Robb expects that percentage will rise even higher in the coming months, as the union embarks on organizing drives in Hudson Bay, Nipawin, Aspen Grove and other school divisions.
For more information, contact:
Bill Robb
306 222-5594 or 306 382-8262