alberta teachers pave way for strike with strong vote to authorize labour action
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alberta teachers’ association president jason schilling during a press conference in the ata library in edmonton on wednesday, jan. 8, 2025.
david bloom/postmedia
alberta teachers are ready to go on strike should labour negotiations with the school boards fail.
a vote taken between may 22 and may 26 saw 99 per cent of the nearly 38,000 teachers who cast their ballot approve a strike authorization vote, according to a media release shared tuesday by the alberta teachers’ association (ata).
earlier in may, teachers across the province rejected a proposed collective agreement and cited ongoing frustrations over class sizes, student supports and wages incompatible with rising inflation. in an online vote taken between may 2 and may 5, 61.99 per cent of the nearly 36,000 teachers who cast their vote rejected the deal, while 37.57 per cent supported the recommendations.
the approval of a strike authorization vote has paved the way for the ata to determine the possibility of a strike vote, should a resolution not be reached with the province’s school boards. if a strike vote is passed, teachers would have 120 days to initiate job action.
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