Calgary Catholic teachers take initial step toward potential strike action

The union representing teachers in the Calgary Roman Catholic Separate School Division says 97 per cent of its members have voted in favour of holding a strike vote after contract negotiations stalled.

The preliminary vote, conducted during a June 22 general meeting, followed eight days of bargaining and mediation, with the union claiming that the school board withheld its best offer.

The vast majority of the teachers voted in favour of authorizing the Alberta Teachers’ Association to request a government-supervised strike vote.

“Calgary Catholic teachers are frustrated by the stubbornness and lack of respect shown by the employer during this round of bargaining,” Allison McCaffrey, Calgary Catholic Teachers’ Local No. 55 president, said in a statement. “There is a clear unwillingness from the bargaining team to want to reach a settlement, and they seem to want to delay and stonewall rather than negotiate.

“Ultimately, our teachers want to be respected at the bargaining table, and they want to be treated fairly relative to the rest of the province.”

The union, which represents roughly 3,300 teachers who work in Calgary, Airdrie, Chestermere and Cochrane, says that the latest offer was “significantly worse” than the contracts reached in 27 other school divisions throughout Alberta.

A spokesperson for the Calgary Catholic School District issued the following statement Friday afternoon regarding the state of negotiations.

“The Calgary Catholic School District (CCSD) greatly appreciates all the hard work of our teachers and staff. CCSD will continue to respectfully work towards a fair settlement for all and prays for a peaceful resolution.”