The Alberta Teachers' Association says a provincewide strike will begin on Oct. 6, after its members voted overwhelmingly against a recent tentative deal with the province.
The union represents 51,000 public, Catholic and francophone teachers. Of 43,362 votes cast, 89.5 per cent were opposed to the deal and 10.5 per cent supported it.
"I'm not surprised," ATA president Jason Schilling said at a news conference held in Edmonton Monday evening. "Teachers in this province have been asked to do more with less time and time again."
The now-rejected offer included a 12 per cent wage increase over four years, and proposed moving most teachers to one pay grid in September 2026. Some teachers who would have moved grids could have seen raises of up to an extra five per cent.
The ATA has said teachers' wages have gone up 3.8 per cent during the last six years, while the cost of living in Alberta rose nearly 21 per cent.
The proposed wage increases are the same as in the recommendation voted down by teachers in May.
The offer also included a government promise to fund 3,000 more net new teaching positions provincewide by August 2028, along with 1,500 new educational assistant positions.
The province also said it would cover the $100 cost of COVID-19 vaccines for teachers who want them.
Finance Minister Nate Horner released a statement after the ATA announced the results of its vote, saying he was disappointed by the rejection of the offer.
"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," his statement read in part.
"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?"
Schilling said he believes the deal fell short of what is needed to properly fund education in Alberta, and it shouldn't be up to teachers to bargain for classroom support and staffing.
Horner is expected to join Premier Danielle Smith and Education and Childcare Minister Demetrios Nicolaides for a news conference in Calgary on Tuesday to provide an update on the contract dispute.
At an unrelated town hall on Monday night, Smith was asked about the results of the vote and also expressed disappointment, adding her government will have more to say at Tuesday's news conference.
More to come.
[SRC] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-teachers-vote-new-offer-strike-1.7646216
