Delegates to the Alberta Teachers Association annual meeting in Calgary who agree with three former ATA presidents that a mediator’s recommended contract would be “wholly inadequate” hope to get a motion on the agenda this morning to have the assembly consider and debate the recommended settlement.
This sets the stage for a confrontation with ATA leaders who have been pressing the union’s 46,000 members to ratify the mediator’s recommended settlement, which the three ex-presidents said in an open letter published on social media Friday “would have teachers vote for their continued financial decline.”
The letter signed by Carol Henderson, ATA President from 2009 to 2013, Frank Bruseker, president from 2003 to 2009, and Larry Booi, president from 1999 to 2003, represents a significant disagreement with the association’s provincial executive council.
It landed like a bombshell yesterday at the opening day of the first in-person ATA meeting in three years.
In an apparent response to the letter on the ATA Twitter account, Mr. Schilling was quoted saying, “there have been wedges created to divide us and we must recognize these attempts and not fall for them.”
Since the mediator’s report was issued in early May, some teachers have reported being warned by ATA representatives that they could face a lockout and problems receiving their summer pay if they don’t vote in favour of the recommended collective agreement.
If it were to happen, though, such a labour dispute could only occur with the full support and encouragement of school boards and the United Conservative Party Government.
The details of the recommended settlement, while shared with ATA members, have not been made public.
The open letter from Ms. Henderson, Mr. Brusaker and Mr. Booi called on rank and file ATA members to use the ratification vote scheduled for June 3-5 to reject the contract .
It also accused the UCP Government of “obviously trying to once again bully teachers into accepting a wholly inadequate contract, after treating them with contempt over pension issues, curriculum matters, discipline practices in the profession, supports for learning, and virtually every other issue.”
“It’s the way they have tried to treat all public services,” the three former presidents wrote. “Other organizations have fought back effectively, and the time has come for teachers to stand up and stand together by defeating this unworthy proposal.”
The ATA represents public, Catholic and francophone schoolteachers throughout Alberta.
Today’s session of the ATA annual meeting opens at 9 a.m. and is scheduled to adjourn for the day at 9 p.m. Business will be conducted Monday, the final day of the three-day meeting, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
You go teachers. Do not let this government change so many aspects of our ATA.
That quote was from the ATA Twitter account’s liveblog of the keynote speeches. My impression is that it was in reference to the UCP’s tactics, not the letter.
Thanks David for keeping us up to date. I have attended one of these meetings in the past and there is some disagreement amongst these members about actually being a union. I hope the members of ATA do not buckle under the threats of a lockout. These professionals have been without any meaningful increases for over 10 yrs. Time to stand up to the bullying of this government and work with the rest of civil society to make Alberta better for all workers.
Teachers need to act to defend their professional status (Bill 15) and continued decline in remuneration (10 yr wage freeze) against a wounded and unpopular UCP govt. It is frankly surprising that the current ATA leadership would find itself at odds with three former association presidents with great institutional memory, who reccd teachers to”take a stand”.
Henderson, Booi and Brusaker are absolutely right on all counts. Unless teachers stand up to the UCP’s thugish bullying, they can kiss their professional status in Alberta goodbye.
The ATA’s Provincial Executive Council should be thoroughly ashamed at recommending acceptance
of the mediator’s report.
It’s entirely possible that the former but current premier may just order the Education Minister to accept any contract the ATA offers just to avoid a protracted labour dispute into an election year.
Whether one chooses to call it Kenney’s Damascus conversion, or just screwing with the next premier (Ginger Kenney) it seems that, after doing the exact oppose of what he has done up until now, starve public services of funds, he’s decided to flood them with funds. I mean these oil booms only come once in a blue moon, so don’t waste in on anything stupid, like economic diversification investments.
Maybe there will be some funding restored to post-secondary education. Who knows? Kenney may go overboard and show up at a BLM or a Pride march. He’s one of us now?
I think that big blue pickup truck may have just turned into a EV-hybrid, because “I sort of Heart ‘Berda Oil”.
The UCP isn’t interested in supporting essential public services. They are intent on destroying it all via cuts, like their hero, Ralph Klein wanted to do.
Quite the echo chamber in here. You know those hard working temporary foreign workers at Timmies havent had a raise in years as well. They also have barely any benefits. Or a pension. Just saying, teachers really dont have it THAT bad. But they love to complain, dont they?
Really have you been in classrooms and seen what they have to put with these days? After taking the straps out of the classrooms it’s been a nightmare for teachers , they no longer have any control. How about grade two students spitting in the teachers face or kicking them in the shins like is happening while their stupid parents make up excuses to try to defend their actions. You obviously haven’t been listening to any of the teachers or teacher friends in our family.
If Alberta had a better educational system (which teachers can help you set up if you let them), you would likely know about the Dunning-Kruger effect, which I believe you are currently falling victim to.
To witness the weakness -in responding to an existential threat to professional status of Alberta teachers- displayed by the ATA; Sadly one can only ponder the destruction of public education by the willful subterfuge of the UCP govt that now is awash in oil revenue.
Interesting threat/comment on the summer cheques. I am imagining the government’s thinking is lock the teachers out on the first of July, then claim that since the employees are locked out they do not have to be paid.
I hope the government shares that thought with a labour lawyer before they proceed.
A teacher’s salary is for a year’s work, which they have completed by June 30. The salary is spread over 12 months, which gives budget relief to the teachers and also allows the government to hang on to the funds a bit longer, a holdover from when interest rates were high. As a result, the lockout would not prevent the teachers from earning their summer cheques; they have already been earned and payment is due.
Another court loss for our government?
They really don’t seem to care how much money they lose in court, do they? Almost like it’s not their money they’re losing.
Not that this kind of attack on public sector unions isn’t typical neo-right policy, but the year heading into the next election during which the UCP continues to polish its partisan position rather than govern for all Albertans is so fraught with anomalies —the ghostly spectre of K-Boy hovering over caucus even as the party organizes to replace him and of course the election campaign itself (against the more experienced Premier, Rachel Notley whose NDP governed so well last term and has been far ahead in the polls for the last couple years and remains so today)—that one feels the need for a crystal ball, a soothsayer, and a Geiger counter to figure how it might pan out.
There is nothing quite like this Alberta situation anywhere else in the country. I hope the teachers will do well in the twelve months (?) of twisted hurricane approaching. Strong, united, determined and professional, they have what it takes to hang on. Wishing them all the very best.