As Alberta teachers went on strike Monday, affecting roughly 700,000 students and their families across the province, Premier Danielle Smith has been criticized for meeting with business leaders and the Prime Minister in Ontario and Quebec.Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) President Jason Schilling expressed his surprise at Smith’s eastern tour at this critical time.“I understand that the premier has responsibilities across this province, but I would think the largest labour dispute in Alberta’s history would warrant some attention,” he said at a press conference in Edmonton on Monday.“We understand the impact this is having on teachers, students, and families. Ideally, we would want a short strike, but we also need to stand up for public education.”Schilling emphasized that the strike is about more than immediate pay concerns and that he and the ATA are fighting for future generations.“Teachers are taking this stand not only for themselves now, but for future generations of students and educators. This lack of funding is one of the key factors that has led to this crisis. You cannot keep underfunding the system year after year and expect people to be okay with it.”No negotiations between the teachers and the government took place over the weekend before the strike started, though Schilling said “exploratory conversations” did occur.The last province-wide teachers’ strike occurred in 2002, when Premier Ralph Klein ordered teachers back to work after the strike lasted three weeks..Thousands rally in Calgary, Edmonton as Alberta teachers prepare for province-wide strike.Schilling has said that if Smith’s government presents a favourable offer, it could take “about a week” for teachers to review and vote on it.The province’s latest offer was a 12% pay raise over four years, which was rejected by nearly 90% of teachers who voted last week.The ATA president also addressed parents who were against the strike.“I respect that not everyone will agree with the association’s position. But 95% of teachers voted for strike action in the spring, and 90% rejected the last agreement,” he said.“That’s a strong voice saying we cannot effectively serve our students without serious changes.”The duration of the strike remains uncertain, but Schilling stressed that the ATA is hoping for a short resolution that works for teachers and families.When asked about teachers having no strike pay and possibly being backed into the corner by the government and being forced to accept a deal, Schilling said: “If the government wants to starve teachers out, we have to question whether the intent is really to reach a deal and get students back in classrooms, or just to bust the union,” he said.“We understand the serious nature of the strike, and we're not dragging our feet... We understand the serious nature of this, but we're also going to stand up for our members and stand up for our students, so we'll have the talks and we'll move forward with that.”Later in the day, Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association (TEBA) Chair Scott McCormack issued a statement in regards to providing lockout notice to the ATA.“This is a routine process employers use in response to unions going on strike, which the ATA did on Oct. 6. The lockout will begin Oct. 9 at 1 p.m.," McCormack said. “We saw earlier this year with rotating strikes by educational assistants the tremendous uncertainty it created for school divisions, parents and students who were given very short notice about where strike activity would be taking place. The lockout will provide predictability and stability for students. “If the ATA has no intention of doing the same, then the lockout does not impact their current strike actions of removing teachers from all classrooms across the province. TEBA remains dedicated to reaching a collective agreement and expects that the ATA will continue to bargain in good faith to reach a fair deal for teachers, school boards and our kids."
