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Charis Routley, 11, blows bubbles with friends as they join a student walk out and protest in support of pay for teachers and funding for schools at the Alberta Legislature in Edmonton on Sept. 22.AMBER BRACKEN/The Canadian Press
Alberta teachers have rejected the provincial government’s latest contract offer, setting the stage for a provincewide strike next week.
The Alberta Teachers’ Association, which represents 51,000 teachers across the province, announced Monday that 90 per cent of those who voted rejected the deal.
Union president Jason Schilling told reporters the result was a “historical no,” and a sign of just how disrespected teachers are feeling.
“Teachers have been told time and time again the government will make it right the next time,” said Schilling.
“Well, the next time is here.”
The rejected offer included a 12-per-cent pay raise over four years and a government promise to hire 3,000 more teachers to address class sizes.
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Teachers also would’ve had the cost of their COVID-19 vaccines covered by the government as part of the offer, which varied little from the province’s proposal that teachers already rejected earlier this year.
Finance Minister Nate Horner said Monday he was disappointed with the vote as it’s the government’s position the offer would’ve addressed major issues for teachers, such as overcrowded classrooms.
“With over 50,000 new students added to our education system in the last two years, these investments were needed now more than ever,” Horner said in a statement.
He also laid blame on union leaders for not explaining clearly what it is that teachers are looking for.
“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,” he said.
“I encourage the (union’s) leadership to take time to meet with their members and gain clarity on what teachers are seeking out of a deal. Students and families deserve stability.”
Premier Danielle Smith said on social media that she would announce supports for families on Tuesday in the event of a strike.
Schilling said Monday that the union is open to further negotiations, but all signs are pointing to teachers hitting the picket lines next Monday.
A strike would see classes disrupted for more than 700,000 students across 2,500 schools.
Schilling said the promises on the table would only continue the cycle of underfunding public education, and that the government’s hiring commitments — including 1,500 full-time educational assistants — would do little to address the overcrowded and overwhelming classroom conditions Alberta teachers are facing.
“Public education is in a crisis right now. Let’s not sugar coat that,” he said.
“Teachers are looking for something more concrete, more sustainable, that they can see, that will move forward into the future, that will help them meet the needs of their students.”
He also said teachers deserved a bigger salary bump, noting that over the past decade teachers have seen raises of less than six per cent while their workload increased substantially.
Opposition NDP education critic Amanda Chapman said the government needed to stop insulting teachers by offering the same terms again and again.
“It is disappointing the (United Conservative Party) government has let it get to this point and now thousands of Alberta teachers will hit the picket lines, while parents are scrambling to make arrangements, and our kids’ learning is put on hold,” Chapman said.
“They need to come back to the table to negotiate in good faith and offer a deal that works to ensure Alberta teachers are valued and treated fairly.”
The province declined to comment Monday on whether the government would order teachers back to work through legislation in the event of a strike.
Justice Minister Mickey Amery told the Calgary Herald over the weekend that the government would consider issuing a back-to-work order as a last resort.
Teachers were ordered back to work after nearly three weeks during the last provincewide strike in 2002, which involved more than 20,000 teachers.
Then-premier Ralph Klein’s government had its back-to-work order overturned in court, but union leaders agreed to go through binding arbitration rather than return to the picket line.
Schilling said union leaders would need to read the order and consider their next steps this time around, if Smith’s government was to follow Klein’s footsteps.
