EDMONTON – Voting closes today for Alberta teachers on the latest contract offer from the province, one week before a provincewide strike deadline.
The Alberta Teachers’ Association is expected to announce the results tonight.
The union has said that if the deal is voted down, 51,000 teachers would likely hit picket lines Oct. 6.
The deal on the table is largely the same as the province’s previous offer, with an added commitment to cover the cost of COVID-19 vaccines for teachers.
Voting started Saturday on the new contract, which would see teachers receive a 12 per cent pay raise over four years and the province hire 3,000 more teachers to address class sizes.
Union president Jason Schilling says teachers aren’t taking the vote lightly, as a strike would disrupt classes for over 700,000 students.
The government has said the offer is good for Alberta’s education system and strong on classroom investment.
