Teachers to Strike Oct 6
Alberta Teachers Overwhelmingly Reject Contract, Set October 6 Strike Date
Alberta’s public school teachers have rejected a tentative agreement with the provincial government by 89.5 per cent, paving the way for a provincewide strike to begin on October 6.
The result, announced by the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) after more than 43,000 members cast ballots, signals a deep chasm between the government’s offer and the daily realities teachers face in increasingly complex and overcrowded classrooms.
“The proposed agreement failed to meet the needs of teachers, failed to improve student classroom conditions in a concrete and meaningful way, and failed to show teachers the respect they deserve,” said ATA President Jason Schilling in a statement following the vote.
The union contends that the government has forced teachers to bargain for basic classroom necessities, a situation Schilling called “both inappropriate and embarrassing.” The core issues, according to the ATA, are inadequate addressing of class sizes, student complexities, and a salary offer that fails to make up for over a decade of stagnation.
“When oversized classes and growing student complexities combine to create learning environments that no longer meet students’ needs and push teachers far past their limits, the government must be held accountable,” Schilling stated.
Teachers have received a total salary increase of less than six per cent over the past ten years. The rejected four-year deal included a 12 per cent general wage increase, which the government argued would have made Alberta teachers the highest-paid in Western Canada after taxes.
Labour Movement Rallies Behind Teachers
The teachers' vote drew immediate support from the broader labour movement in Alberta. Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL), issued a statement condemning the government's approach to bargaining.
“As labour leaders — but above all, as Albertans — we at the AFL are appalled by the treatment of the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) and its members by the current government,” McGowan said. “The flagrant lack of respect, the bad faith bargaining, wasteful media advertising, and the public smears in front of television cameras, fall woefully short of the comportment that the residents of Alberta expect and deserve from their elected leaders.”
McGowan echoed the ATA’s concerns about classroom conditions and funding, stating, “Alberta can no longer afford to have the lowest level of funding for K-12 education in Canada.” He directly called on Premier Danielle Smith and Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides to “graciously accept the teachers’ vote... and come back with something better.”
“This government’s handling of K-12 education gets an F,” McGowan concluded. “But there is still time to do the homework necessary to turn things around.”
Government Expresses Disappointment, Questions Union's Strategy
In a sharply worded response, the provincial government expressed disappointment and pointed the finger back at the ATA leadership.
“This is the second time teachers have rejected a potential settlement that provided what their union said teachers wanted in response to growing classroom complexities,” the government’s statement read.
The government highlighted that the rejected deal would have funded the hiring of 3,000 new teachers and over 1,500 new educational assistants to address population growth and classroom complexity. It also emphasized that a wage grid unification would have given more than 95 per cent of teachers raises of up to 17 per cent over the four years, particularly benefiting newer teachers.
“With two failed ratification votes, I am left questioning whether the union fully understands what their members are seeking,” the statement continued. “If teachers did not want this deal, then why was it proposed by the ATA in the first place?”
The government urged the ATA to consult with its members to clarify their demands and promised to announce supports for parents and students in the event of a strike, reaffirming its commitment to “reaching a fair deal” to keep students in school.
With the strike deadline set for October 6 and the backing of the broader labour movement, teachers have signaled they are united in their demand for an agreement that immediately addresses deteriorating classroom conditions and provides what they believe is a fair and deserving pay increase, setting the stage for a major disruption to Alberta's education system.
