After nearly a week’s worth of exploratory discussions, the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) has initiated a formal bargaining meeting with the Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association (TEBA) and a mediator on Tuesday, Oct. 14.
Main negotiating points are expected to be inflation-reflecting salary increases and classroom sizes and complexity
Some 89 per cent of voting ATA members rejected a TEBA-proposed, union-negotiated deal in late-September before initiating a province-wide strike on Oct. 6. Subsequently, a lockout notice was issued by TEBA commencing Oct. 9, a routine process in response to unions going on strike, according to TEBA.
After the no-vote, President of Treasury Board and Minister of Finance Nate Horner urged ATA leadership to meet with their members and gain clarity on what teachers need and want out of a deal.
“The ATA’s rejected deal would have provided tremendous investments in classroom supports to help alleviate population growth and classroom complexity pressures with the hiring of 3,000 new teachers and over 1,500 new educational assistants in public, separate and francophone classrooms. This would have been in addition to the hiring required to replace retiring and departing teachers,” he said in a statement.
