After a prolonged contract disagreement between educators and the province, 51,000 members of the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) commenced a strike on Monday morning. The strike is anticipated to impact over 730,000 students statewide, with more than 142,000 enrolled in the Calgary Board of Education (CBE).
The ATA members, teaching at various schools in Alberta, overwhelmingly turned down a proposed deal that included a 12% wage increase over four years, salary upgrades for most teachers, and complimentary access to the $100 COVID-19 vaccine for teachers without health concerns. The rejected offer, opposed by 89.5% of voting ATA members, also promised to create 3,000 additional teaching positions, a proposition deemed insufficient by the ATA. President Jason Schilling stated the need for over 5,000 new teachers, along with additional support for larger class sizes and inflation-adjusted pay raises.
Although the rejected agreement included plans to hire 1,500 more educational assistants by 2028, the province stands by this commitment. Schilling mentioned ongoing discussions between the two sides to seek a non-confrontational path forward.
In light of the strike, online learning resources like D2L and Google Classroom will be available for students. The CBE confirmed that teachers will not assess student work during this period. Additionally, the provincial government is offering free K-12 curriculum toolkits and lifting credit limits for distance education during the strike.
Families of students aged 12 or younger can apply for $150 weekly support from the province, with applications starting on October 14. Out-of-school care programs may offer full-day child care, and increased subsidies for licensed child care are also available. Free entry to heritage sites and museums is offered to children 18 and under.
While classes are suspended, school support staff, such as bus drivers and educational assistants, are expected to continue working. However, they will not replace teachers. Unionized staff will support teachers by fulfilling their roles and joining them on picket lines when possible. The decision to retain support staff lies with individual school boards.
Calgary educational support staff and maintenance workers have demonstrated solidarity with teachers in the past. The last province-wide teacher strike occurred in 2002, when Premier Ralph Klein intervened after nearly three weeks of job action.
