No deal yet: Alberta teachers still on strike path amid summer talks

Despite multiple discussions, Alberta teachers remain closer than ever to strike.

The Alberta Teachers’ Association has met with the Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association twice since the announcement of a strike vote approval on June 10, according to ATA president Jason Schilling.

“We met last week and had conversations around what the issues were that teachers still see, around trying to find a negotiated settlement, which ultimately would be our goal,” he said.

Schilling said that the ATA’s central table bargaining committee shared feedback with the government from member information meetings around things like classroom complexity, wages and class sizes.

The next meeting between the ATA and TEBA is set for Aug. 26, just days before the CBE’s expected start date of Sept. 2.

Going into the next meeting, Schilling said the goal is always progress, but it’s never known exactly how those conversations will go.

“It’s good that we’re still talking, that’s always a good sign,” he said.

“The 95 per cent vote in favour of a strike is a really strong message to government that teachers are not willing to stand by quietly as public education erodes at their feet. I don’t want to try to predict just what it would look like, but hopefully we will see a conclusion that’s satisfactory for everybody.”

Schilling said that teachers realize the potential inconvenience of disrupting the school year and don’t take this decision lightly.

“[Teachers] are also not willing to stand by and watch their classes grow even larger. We’ve seen class sizes grow larger every year for the last several years,” he said.

“The complexity, the lack of funding. We’re the least funded in all of Canada, they’re just not quietly going to stand by and watch another school year come in a crisis mode like this one is ending.”

Schilling said that among teachers he’s spoken with, many feel nervous heading into the summer without a deal, but carry a sense of unity nonetheless.

Once a deal is reached, teachers hope to feel respected and secure in their positions, according to Schilling.

“They’re also looking to be treated in a fair and reasonable manner, and that the demands that they have and the concerns that they have are actually being listened to and actioned on,” he said.

“[Teacher’s hope] that the government is listening to their concerns and are working with teachers, as opposed to against teachers on trying to find solutions that work for everyone.”

NDP backs teachers as UCP defends rejected offer

In a statement, Alberta New Democrat shadow ministers for education and labour, Amanda Chapman and Peggy Wright, showed support for Alberta’s teachers, saying that the UCP government has ignored teacher issues for years.

“Under the UCP government, Alberta has the lowest per-student education funding in the country, and it shows. Classrooms are overcrowded, and teachers are being stretched to the breaking point trying to meet increasingly complex student needs with shrinking government support,” Chapman said in a statement.

“Despite all of this, teachers continue to show up every single day, giving everything they have to support our kids. They deserve a government that supports them in return, not one that underfunds education and pushes them toward strike action.

“We stand with Alberta’s teachers.”

Similarly, the shadow minister for labour said that the current government has pushed workers “to the brink.”

“This is a government that has shown time and time again they do not stand with workers. By starving our most critical systems, the UCP government is pushing workers to the brink and leaving them no choice but to strike,” Wright said.

“If the Minister truly respected the important work teachers do, he’d return to the bargaining table—not to posture, but to listen and respond to what teachers are saying. That’s what respect for workers looks like.

In a statement, Treasury Board President and Finance Minister Nate Horner expressed disappointment that teachers rejected the most recent mediated deal.

“The rejected mediator’s recommendation included the same 12 per cent over four years general wage increase accepted by nurses, and a grid harmonization that would have meant up to an additional five per cent for some teachers,” Horner said.

“This was a fair deal, made in good faith, and I’m disappointed ATA members didn’t accept the four-year agreement.”

Horner added that the offer also included over $400 million in classroom improvements starting this fall.

“Education remains a top priority for this government. Budget 2025 included one of the largest increases ever for K-12, with total spending over $10 billion,” he said.

“The ATA and the Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association (TEBA) have mediation dates set throughout the summer.”