{"id":268381,"date":"2025-10-01T05:29:26","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T05:29:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/268381\/"},"modified":"2025-10-01T05:29:26","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T05:29:26","slug":"with-no-new-contract-talks-planned-alberta-teachers-appear-poised-to-go-on-strike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/268381\/","title":{"rendered":"With no new contract talks planned, Alberta teachers appear poised to go on strike"},"content":{"rendered":"

The head of the Alberta Teachers\u2019 Association says no talks are scheduled and 51,000 teachers are set to hit picket lines next week in a provincewide strike.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Jason Schilling says teachers sent a clear message by overwhelmingly rejecting the latest contract offer from Premier Danielle Smith\u2019s government.<\/p>\n

The government\u2019s offer of a 12 per cent pay increase over four years and a promise to hire 3,000 more teachers is a drop in the bucket compared with what\u2019s needed to catch up on wages and reduce overcrowded classrooms, Schilling said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not confused about what teachers want,\u201d Schilling added.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe vote that you saw yesterday is clarity. It\u2019s saying to government, \u2018What you\u2019re willing to do to address the issues, hiring 3,000 teachers, is not the same as (instituting) class-size caps.\u201d<\/p>\n

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He called the government\u2019s suggestion that teachers are out of touch with their demands \u201cludicrous.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTeachers have taken a 5.75 per cent increase in the last 10 years. So wages have been stagnant when other unions were receiving increases at that time. And so teachers are looking to make up for lost inflation and current inflation,\u201d Schilling said in an interview with the Global News morning show in Edmonton.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are just like every other family across this province. They were also dealing with the high cost of living within Alberta, and they want to see a wage that\u2019s going to reflect their workload and attract and retain teachers in the profession as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"For<\/p>\n

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On Monday night, the ATA announced that 89.5 per cent of union members voted to reject the deal put forward by both sides.<\/p>\n

Overall, it closely resembled a proposal that a majority of teachers voted against earlier this year.<\/p>\n

But the new offer, which was announced on Friday, would have also covered the cost of COVID-19 vaccines for teachers.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tThe president of the Alberta Teachers Association told Global News on Tuesday that teachers are poised to go on strike starting at midnight on Monday, Oct. 6.\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tGlobal News\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

In a Tuesday afternoon news conference, Smith said she is disappointed the negotiations have hit a stalemate, describing the government\u2019s offer of wage hikes and classroom supports as more than fair.<\/p>\n

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Smith said if teachers follow through on a provincewide strike Monday, her government will provide families money and a do-it-yourself curriculum guide so parents can teach their kids at home.<\/p>\n

Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said the curriculum kit focuses on core subjects, such as English, math, sciences and social studies.<\/p>\n

Smith also promised parents $30 a day per child aged 12 and under, with payments starting at the end of October.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tWith no new contract talks planned, Alberta Finance Minister Nate Horner said it is up to teachers to determine the next steps in their contract dispute, to which the head of the ATA said that teachers provided a definitive answer when close to 90 per cent of them voted to reject the government\u2019s latest offer.\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tGlobal News\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Finance Minister Nate Horner said it\u2019s no longer clear what the teachers want in bargaining and he urged the teachers\u2019 association to figure that out.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s now up to the union to determine next steps,\u201d Horner said.<\/p>\n

Schilling has challenged Horner\u2019s statement that the next move is up to the union.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe government\u2019s repeated claims that it doesn\u2019t know what teachers want is insulting and unfounded,\u201d Schilling said. \u201cOver and over again, teachers have sought supports for their students, fair pay and the basic respect they deserve.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ATA has put forward concrete solutions like class size caps, but has been shot down at every turn.\u201d<\/p>\n

The association had previously set a strike deadline of Monday, Oct. 6, and Schilling said it appears the strike will be a reality.<\/p>\n

\u201cTeachers don\u2019t want to be on strike,\u201d Schilling said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey want to be in their classrooms or working with students. But they also want the tools and the resources available to them so that they can do their jobs really well.\u201d<\/p>\n

A walkout would affect more than 700,000 students in 2,500 public, separate and francophone schools.<\/p>\n

\u2014 with files from Global News.<\/p>\n

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