A province-wide teachers’ strike on Monday appears to be inevitable as schools are preparing to close, with more than 700,000 students set to be affected.The imminent strike follows a decisive vote by Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) members, who rejected the province’s latest contract offer.No new talks are scheduled.Alberta teachers are set to hold rallies on Sunday in Edmonton at the Alberta Legislature and in Calgary at the McDougall Centre, coinciding with World Teachers’ Day.Western Standard sources says teachers will not be holding picket lines at individual schools, instead they will gather for large rallies.Nearly 90% of the province’s 51,000 teachers voted to oppose the proposal, which included a 12% pay increase over four years and a plan to hire an additional 3,000 teachers.Premier Danielle Smith expressed frustration over the ongoing impasse.“We keep saying yes, yes, yes. Why is it that the answers keep being no, no, no? That’s what we don’t understand,” she told Rick Bell of Postmedia.“There is some disconnect between the union leadership and their members. It’s up to them to come back to us and say what it will take to get to a deal. It’s up to the ATA leadership to tell us what it will take to get to a solution, and then we can bargain accordingly.”.Smith urges Alberta teachers to reconsider strike plans.ATA president Jason Schilling acknowledged the stalemate and the potential inconvenience for parents but insisted that teachers are acting in the best interest of students, telling the Canadian Press that, “We’re always interested in negotiations and returning to the table.”“It’s whether the government is willing to come with serious intentions to address the issues our teachers want resolved.”Schilling also called the hiring offer “a drop in the bucket” compared to the 5,000 teachers the association says it needs to align with its desired student-teacher ratios.The provincial government, however, has reiterated its willingness to negotiate.In a statement to the Western Standard, the office of the Minister of Treasury Board and Finance said, “TEBA is ready, willing, and able to get back to the table to come to a fair deal for our teachers at any time, once the ATA has consulted with their members on a reasonable deal.”The statement went on to say that the onus was “on ATA leadership to determine what supports teachers are actually looking for.”“TEBA has submitted a formal letter to the ATA asking them to come back to the table with creative solutions. We are waiting for the ATA’s response. Our goal is always to keep our kids in school.”Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said Thursday that a home-based online curriculum is now available for parents to use if the ATA proceeds with the planned walkout.“It’s not fair that students should bear the brunt of this dispute,” Nicolaides said..TOKEN LEFTY: The UCP manufactured teacher’s strike.Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek expressed concern for teachers, families, and students caught in the middle of the impending strike.“This moment is about respect... for parents forced into impossible choices... for teachers showing up day after day in crowded, under-resourced classrooms, and for students, who want nothing more than to learn, to grow, and to thrive, but who instead are caught in the middle of a political dispute not of their making.” she said in a statement.“I stand with you. I will raise my voice for the respect and dignity you deserve because strong families, strong classrooms, and strong communities are the foundation of a strong Calgary.”
