The head of the Alberta Teachers’ Association says no talks are scheduled and 51,000 teachers are set to hit picket lines next week in a provincewide strike.
Jason Schilling says teachers sent a clear message by overwhelmingly rejecting the latest contract offer from Premier Danielle Smith’s government.
The government’s offer of a 12 per cent pay increase over four years and a promise to hire 3,000 more teachers is a drop in the bucket compared with what’s needed to catch up on wages and reduce overcrowded classrooms, Schilling said.
“We’re not confused about what teachers want,” Schilling added.
“The vote that you saw yesterday is clarity. It’s saying to government, ‘What you’re willing to do to address the issues, hiring 3,000 teachers, is not the same as (instituting) class-size caps.”
He called the government’s suggestion that teachers are out of touch with their demands “ludicrous.”
“Teachers have taken a 5.75 per cent increase in the last 10 years. So wages have been stagnant when other unions were receiving increases at that time. And so teachers are looking to make up for lost inflation and current inflation,” Schilling said in an interview with the Global News morning show in Edmonton.
“They are just like every other family across this province. They were also dealing with the high cost of living within Alberta, and they want to see a wage that’s going to reflect their workload and attract and retain teachers in the profession as well.”
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On Monday night, the ATA announced that 89.5 per cent of union members voted to reject the deal put forward by both sides.
Overall, it closely resembled a proposal that a majority of teachers voted against earlier this year.
But the new offer, which was announced on Friday, would have also covered the cost of COVID-19 vaccines for teachers.
In a Tuesday afternoon news conference, Smith said she is disappointed the negotiations have hit a stalemate, describing the government’s offer of wage hikes and classroom supports as more than fair.
Smith said if teachers follow through on a provincewide strike Monday, her government will provide families money and a do-it-yourself curriculum guide so parents can teach their kids at home.
Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said the curriculum kit focuses on core subjects, such as English, math, sciences and social studies.
Smith also promised parents $30 a day per child aged 12 and under, with payments starting at the end of October.
Finance Minister Nate Horner said it’s no longer clear what the teachers want in bargaining and he urged the teachers’ association to figure that out.
“It’s now up to the union to determine next steps,” Horner said.
Schilling has challenged Horner’s statement that the next move is up to the union.
“The government’s repeated claims that it doesn’t know what teachers want is insulting and unfounded,” Schilling said. “Over and over again, teachers have sought supports for their students, fair pay and the basic respect they deserve.
“The ATA has put forward concrete solutions like class size caps, but has been shot down at every turn.”
The association had previously set a strike deadline of Monday, Oct. 6, and Schilling said it appears the strike will be a reality.
“Teachers don’t want to be on strike,” Schilling said.
“They want to be in their classrooms or working with students. But they also want the tools and the resources available to them so that they can do their jobs really well.”
A walkout would affect more than 700,000 students in 2,500 public, separate and francophone schools.
— with files from Global News.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
