The Alberta Teachers Association (ATA) has rejected the tentative agreement with the government by an 89.5% margainThe decision was announced by the ATA's president, Jason Schilling, who stated, "This is bigger than a contract. These teachers are not just fighting for themselves — they're fighting for every student, every family, and for the very future of public education in this province."The vote comes in advance of a possible strike on October 6, and if the deal isn't reached by then, Alberta teachers will go on strike.Teachers voted on the tentative agreement announced earlier this September by the ATA and the government after months of negotiations.Finance Minister Nate Horner had confirmed the ATA presented an offer to the Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association (TEBA), and both sides had previously agreed to move forward with a tentative deal..President of Treasury Board and Minister of Finance Nate Horner issued the following statement in response to the ATA ratification vote: “I am disappointed that Alberta’s teachers have voted to reject the tentative agreement for a new four-year central agreement.”“This is the second time teachers have rejected a potential settlement that provided what their union said teachers wanted in response to growing classroom complexities.”“The ATA’s rejected deal would have provided tremendous investments in classroom supports to help alleviate population growth and classroom complexity pressures with the hiring of 3,000 new teachers and over 1,500 new educational assistants in public, separate and francophone classrooms. This would have been in addition to the hiring required to replace retiring and departing teachers.”“The deal also would have provided a general wage increase of 12% over the four-year term, as well as a wage grid unification which would have provided more than 95 per cent of teachers even larger wage increases up to 17%. These adjustments would have resulted in greater salary increases for newer teachers to help address recruitment and retention issues. Increases in northern incentives and substitute teacher pay would also have been secured through the new deal. Alberta teachers would have been receiving the highest pay in western Canada after taxes.“With two failed ratification votes, I am left questioning whether the union fully understands what their members are seeking. If teachers did not want this deal, then why was it proposed by the ATA in the first place?”. The province had offered to spend nearly $10 billion this year to support teachers and students, the largest amount in Alberta’s history.Another $8.6 billion was offered to spend for building and renovating more than 130 schools, and the government had committed to hiring 3,000 new teachers to reduce class sizes, and implementing a 12% salary increase over four years. “If ratified, this deal will form the basis for labour stability in the province and will be a positive path forward for a successful school year for our kids,” Horner had said, adding that the agreement was “strong on classroom spending.”Schilling commented on the vote prior to the results, stating, “Teachers do not take the decision before them lightly.""They recognize what is on the line with this vote and remain committed to an outcome that prioritizes the future of our public education system.”
