Despite salary being a top issue in labour negotiations between Alberta’s teachers and provincial government, teachers are nearing two weeks of missed pay since the province-wide teachers’ strike began.
Before striking without pay on Oct. 6, Alberta teachers were told to begin saving money as the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) and their governing body, the Provincial Executive Council, had decided against strike pay, according to an ATA-issued statement.
Strike pay for 51,000 teachers at $50 per day would’ve amounted to approximately $2.5 million, according to the statement. The association is instead covering premium benefits, up to $800 per month per family, at a total cost of approximately $2 million per day.
Previous strikes where pay was given had bargaining take place on a local level. Due to the ongoing strike, including teachers province-wide, strike pay was axed.
“At previous ATA events, the possibility of strike action and teachers not receiving strike pay was presented to teachers,” the statement reads. No details were provided on the decision process against strike pay.
Budgeting decisions, including annual fees and how they are allocated, are determined by members each year during May, according to the statement. The proposed annual fees for the 2025-26 school year are $1,422 per teacher.
When asked about their ad campaigns throughout negotiation, the association told LWC in a statement that their budget for communications advocacy is approximately $1.2 million.
Back to work order coming if negotiation stalemate persists
The ATA and the Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association (TEBA) returned to formal negotiations on Oct. 14. The ATA tabled an official offer that ATA President Jason Schilling described as fair and mutually beneficial, but President of Treasury Board and Minister of Finance Nate Horner called it too big.
“The government has described our proposal as too big, but let’s be honest, it is years of systemic underfunding and neglect that has failed to meet Alberta’s growing needs, which have made the challenges in Alberta’s schools this overwhelming, complex and big,” Schilling said.
“For more than a week and a half, over 700,000 Alberta students have been out of school. No one wanted this, but teachers will not stand by while classrooms crumble.”
Though Schilling did not provide offer-specific details when asked, saying that numbers and negotiation should be done at the bargaining table, main issues of tension between the two parties continue to include classroom size and complexity and teacher salary.
Schilling said that the government still has room to increase overall school funding despite the Minister’s comments. The two sides are expected to continue discussions throughout the week.
“The hope is that everything that we do at the bargaining table would be productive and lead us to negotiate a settlement,” he said.
If a prolonged strike keeps students out of school, the province will legislate the teachers back to work at the start of session on Oct. 23, according to a statement provided by the Minister of Finance’s office.
“Back-to-work legislation is considered as a last resort, not the first option. We respect the bargaining process and would like to see it produce an effective solution,” the statement reads.
“However, government’s priority is student learning and supporting families through this challenging time. If the ATA prolongs this strike and keeps our kids out of school, causing long-term irreparable damage to our kids, their education and the economy, the government will legislate the teachers back to work at the start of session.”
