‘Concerned and disappointed’: Talks between province, Alberta Teachers’ Association break down

Students in elementary, junior high and high schools across Alberta will be attending classes next week, but the threat of a teachers’ labour stoppage remains very real.

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Both the Alberta government, which has the power to lock teachers out, and the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA), which is in a legal strike position, have said they’re not yet ready to take the nuclear labour options available to them. Talks between the sides broke down Thursday.

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Demetrios Nicolaides, Alberta’s minister of education and childcare, said Friday that the priority is to have schools open.

“Schools will be continuing as normal, unless we hear otherwise,” Nicolaides said. “The Government of Alberta’s number one priority is to make sure that students are in school and that students are learning.”

Jason Schilling, president of the ATA, said that a strike decision is ultimately the call of the provincial executive. The teachers have been in a strike position since an overwhelming vote in favour of job action last June. They can head to the picket lines after a 72-hour notice has been given.

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“We’d like to see a negotiated settlement that doesn’t involve any kind of job action, but we have to see what ongoing negotiations or talks will come about,” said Schilling.

When asked directly if kids will be at school next week, Schilling answered: “Yes, they will.”

Nicolaides said he was confused why contract talks between the provincial negotiator and the Alberta Teachers’ Association have reached an impasse.

“I’m quite baffled, to be honest,” Nicolaides said.

Negotiations were scheduled to go into Friday, but Nicolaides said that the ATA walked away from the bargaining table on Thursday. Schilling said the offer on the table was similar to what teachers’ rejected in the spring.

“Union leadership is clearly not representing or interested in the best interests of our education system,” Niclolaides said. “Parents should be curious that union leaders are gambling with their kids’ future and their learning.

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“We are giving union leaders exactly what they asked for.”

At issue is the province’s contention that the Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association (TEBA) had on Tuesday made an offer that included hiring 1,000 more teachers every year over the next three years, at the cost of $750 million, as well as a 12 per cent salary increase over four years, plus “an additional increase that would further improve the salaries of 95 per cent of their members over the next four years.”

Different sides to the story

Nicolaides said this is what the union asked for in the spring. But he said that stance changed this week, that ATA negotiators told TEBA that the preference was now for fewer teachers to be hired, so that there would be greater wage increases for existing members.

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“I’m not sure what’s happening, but we cannot and will not play politics with our kids,” said Nicolaides “Our government is ready to hire thousands more teachers, invest hundreds of millions into the classroom and increase teacher pay. But, again, for some reason, the union is dissatisfied.”

Schilling said the alleged fewer-teachers, more-pay-for existing-teachers proposal was never tabled by the ATA’s bargaining committee. He said Alberta needs more teachers, not less, and that the 3,000 new hires over three years represents a good start, but is “just a drop in the bucket.”

Despite the response from Nicolaides and Finance Minister Nate Horner, both said they would welcome the teachers back to the bargaining table, and that a deal was close. Schilling said teachers are willing to go back and bargain, but need to understand that the province changed its “fiscal priorities.”

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Schilling said the 12 per cent bump wasn’t acceptable to teachers in the spring, and isn’t acceptable now. He said teachers’ wages have only risen by 5.75 per cent over the previous decade, a rate that doesn’t keep up with inflation. So, in terms of real economic power, teachers are worse off than they were a decade ago. He said 12 per cent over four years doesn’t make up the gap.

“Teachers cannot accept a salary offer that does not attract and retain Alberta teachers by catching up and keeping up with inflation,” said Schilling, “It’s about showing respect for the value teachers bring to the Alberta education system.”

So, what is the wage-bump number that will satisfy the ATA? Schilling said he wouldn’t put out a hard number, because he did not want to be seen as bargaining through the media.

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Schilling said that with increasing class sizes, added duties on teachers’ agendas and salary issues, it’s getting harder and harder for schools in the province to attract and retain teachers. He said a quarter of students coming out of educations programs opt not to commit to the teaching profession, and that half of teachers with five years experience or less choose to abandon their careers.

He said that, thanks to new provincial regulations limiting explicit material in school and classroom libraries,  teachers are being asked to sort through materials.  He said some are simply choosing to box up their books and remove them from their classes. They are also being asked administer opt-in programs for sex education and learn new protocols surrounding gender identity.

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“The workload has increased, the expectations have have grown,” said Schilling. “Class sizes continue to soar, and the pay has barely moved.”

‘Not going to be easy’

Horner said that with the province forecasting a $6.5-billion deficit in the upcoming year, carving out $750 million was significant.

“In light of yesterday’s updates, making room for that $750 million was not going to be easy,” said Horner. “But we committed to it because we thought it could lead to a fair deal for teachers and stability for students and families.”

When asked if the province would consider back-to-work legislation, Horner echoed Nicolaides’s statements that a deal was close and the ATA would be welcomed back to the bargaining table. But he didn’t rule out any actions in the future.

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“We have tools at our disposal. So do they,” said Horner.

ssandor@postmedia.com

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