Dear Superintendent,
Your latest communication regarding negotiations with CUPE Local 2545 makes it clear that the Division is presenting its offer as a generous and necessary step for financial stability. However, the reality is that the Division is expecting dedicated education workers—who have already endured prolonged job action without pay—to settle for a deal that does not meet the cost-of-living realities they face. You highlight that other CUPE locals have accepted increases of 2.5% to 3%, yet you fail to mention whether those agreements were reached under similar economic conditions and workloads. The fact that CUPE Local 2545 remains on strike suggests that the situation in Fort McMurray is different and requires a better solution than what has been offered elsewhere. You claim that CUPE’s wage proposal is unaffordable, yet your own offer acknowledges that significant increases are necessary to remain competitive. If long-term stability is truly a priority, why should the lowest-paid education workers be the ones forced to bear the brunt of financial “uncertainty,” while the Division continues to operate at full capacity? Your framing of the $7.8 million cost as the equivalent of 76 teaching positions is a clear attempt to pit workers against each other, rather than recognizing that fair wages benefit the entire school community. Instead of presenting this offer as a positive step forward, it reads as a veiled ultimatum: accept underpaid work, or the students and staff will suffer the consequences. This is not a negotiation—it’s an attempt to pressure CUPE members into submission by holding their livelihoods, and the education system, hostage. If the Division truly values its staff, then it must acknowledge that fair wages are an investment in the future of education, not a financial burden. The workers who keep schools running deserve to be treated with respect—not as an expense to be minimized.
Sincerely,
Zulkifl Mujahid
Concerned Father