It appears an impending strike by Alberta’s 51,000 teachers may be avoided, although the proposal is largely the same as the province’s previous offer.
Alberta Finance Minister Nate Horner announced Wednesday a tentative new contract agreement has been reached between negotiators for the provincial government and the Alberta Teachers’ Association.
In a written statement to media, Horner says teachers will vote on the tentative deal “in the coming days.”
The potential deal needs to be ratified by ATA members, with voting to take place Saturday through Monday, one week ahead of a strike deadline.
A copy of the agreement obtained by both The Canadian Press and Global News shows the deal varies little from the government’s standing offer, though one change is the province will cover COVID-19 vaccines for teachers.
It falls in line with the province promising the shots for workers in other sectors, including health care, as most Albertans will have to pay $100 for the vaccine this year.
The tentative deal includes the same salary increase of 12 per cent over four years that was rejected by teachers this past spring.
It also repeats the government’s previous commitment to hire 3,000 more teachers over three years to address classroom crowding.
Also included are annual pay bumps of 3 per cent for substitute teachers for a full day of work, and a commitment to hire 1,500 full time educational assistants before the summer of 2028.
The two sides returned to the bargaining table on Friday, with teachers threatening to walk off the job on Oct. 6 if a new contract agreement couldn’t be reached.
Neither Horner nor the teachers’ union provided details about the tentative agreement.
Get daily National news
While he refused to provide any specifics, Horner promised that the provincial government will invest nearly $10 billion to support teachers and students, hire an additional 3,000 teachers and invest $8.6 billion into building more than 130 schools.
The Alberta Teachers’ Association also confirmed in a written statement that “a memorandum of agreement” has been reached between teachers and the government, but ATA president Jason Schilling also refused to provide any further details until a ratification vote takes place.
Schilling confirms teachers will be voting online starting at 8 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 27 until 5 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 29.
The union said it would present the offer neutrally, meaning officials won’t lobby members to vote one way or the other.
The union said results are expected after voting closes Monday night.
“Teachers will go on strike on Oct. 6 in the absence of accepting a deal,” it said in a statement.
A strike would see classes disrupted for more than 700,000 students across 2,500 schools.
“Teachers do not take the decision before them lightly,” added Schilling. “They recognize what is on the line with this vote and remain committed to an outcome that prioritizes the future of our public education system.”
Jason Foster, a professor of labour relations at Athabasca University, is advising parents to keep their contingency plans in place, in case teachers vote to reject the tentative contract agreement.
Jason Foster, a professor of labour relations at Athabasca University, tells Global News the ATA appears to be hedging its bets on whether teachers will vote in favour of the new contract.
“I do think that a lot of teachers are going to be looking at this agreement, you know, not so much for what it offers in terms of wage increases or whatever, (but) more about what does this do in terms of improving the situation of what’s happening in the classroom, and that’s how they’ll be basing their vote,” said Foster.
“If they do fail to ratify this week, there will still be some time for them to go back to the table and see if they can fix it,” added Foster.
“But my suggestion to parents is, do not cancel your contingency plans yet because you may still need them.”
Contract talks had stalled this month over salaries and investments demanded by teachers to reduce classroom sizes and address teaching complexities.
The province took the union to the labour board last week over a communications document that claimed provincial negotiators didn’t have the power to negotiate non-wage issues, which the government said wasn’t true.
The labour board issued a consent order Thursday resolving the complaint. The order said the parties agreed the outstanding bargaining issues are related to pay hikes and COVID-19 vaccines for teachers.
The two sides returned to the bargaining table Friday — the same day the province rolled out an advertising campaign defending its previous offer.
The government’s ad campaign includes an upbeat video highlighting the pay rise and more money to reduce classroom sizes. It ends with a narrator saying, “Now that’s a good deal that keeps kids in the classroom.”
The union had previously rolled out its advertising campaign, using billboards, TV and radio commercials, teacher testimonials on social media, and postcards and lawn signs.
The return to bargaining also came a day after a key negotiator for the teachers’ union resigned.
In a social media post after stepping down, Peter MacKay said he left because he “didn’t see a path” forward for getting a deal in place.
The union said MacKay’s departure wouldn’t affect future bargaining efforts.
—With files from Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press
Comments