After a prolonged contract dispute, 51,000 members of the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) initiated a strike on Monday following failed negotiations with the province. The strike is anticipated to impact over 730,000 students in Alberta, with a significant portion, more than 142,000, enrolled in the Calgary Board of Education (CBE).
ATA members, who teach in various school types province-wide, overwhelmingly turned down an offer that included a 12% wage increase over four years, salary grid advancements for most teachers, and free access to the $100 COVID-19 vaccine for teachers without health issues. The rejected deal, opposed by 89.5% of voting ATA members, also pledged to create 3,000 additional teaching positions, a number deemed insufficient by the ATA. President Jason Schilling expressed the need for over 5,000 new teachers, along with support for larger class sizes, complex needs, and salary adjustments to match inflation rates.
Despite the rejection, the proposal still commits to hiring 1,500 more educational assistants by 2028, as stated by the province. Schilling mentioned ongoing dialogues between the two parties to seek a resolution without confrontation.
During the strike, students will have access to online learning resources such as D2L and Google Classroom provided by the CBE. The provincial government is offering free K-12 curriculum toolkits for virtual learning. Additionally, students in grades 10 to 12 can surpass the 10-credit limit per year for non-primary distance education during the fall term.
Parents of students aged 12 or younger in public, Catholic, or francophone schools can apply for weekly financial support of $150 from the province, with the first payments scheduled to start on October 31. Out-of-school care programs may offer all-day childcare for children under 13, and increased subsidies for licensed full-time childcare for grades one through six are available for the month of October.
While classes are suspended, support staff including bus drivers, custodians, and educational assistants are expected to continue their duties. Southland and First Student confirmed that their bus drivers will remain working, focusing on training activities during the strike period. School boards have the authority to decide on the presence of support staff. Union representatives emphasized that support workers will not substitute for teachers and will stand in solidarity with the educators.
The last province-wide teacher strike in Alberta occurred in 2002, ending after nearly three weeks when then-Premier Ralph Klein intervened to order striking teachers back to work.
