Alberta teachers vote down recommendations for new collective agreement

Alberta teachers have said ‘no’ to a mediator’s recommendations for a new collective agreement.

The Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) says a record number of voters — nearly 36,000 — voted 62 per cent in favour of rejecting the recommendations.

The union says the high turnout highlights teachers’ significant concerns around the increasing complexity of Alberta classrooms and the failure of the recommendations to address these concerns.

“Alberta teachers are deeply committed to their work and to ensuring every student learns in strong, supportive conditions, conditions this government must urgently improve,” said ATA president, Jason Schilling. “Change is needed for students, for classrooms and for public education in Alberta.”

According to the ATA, teachers are now in a 14-day cooling off period where next steps will be figured out. Then, there will be a strike authorization vote.

If that is approved, teachers will move to a formal strike vote. Once that is in place, teachers will have 120 days to begin striking. Parties can continue to seek a resolution in the interim.

Negotiations between the representatives of teachers and the province went to mediation in January, and the mediator released a set of recommended terms for a settlement that needed to be approved by both sides.

Teachers cast their votes online between May 2 and 5.