BARRHEAD/WESTLOCK – The Pembina Hills School Division has updated local parents on next steps after the province's teachers voted in favour of strike action this week.
The Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) announced on June 10 that teachers have voted to strike with 95 per cent of teachers who voted supporting strike action.
“For too long teachers have been propping up a system that is under resourced and overburdened,” said ATA President Jason Schilling in a media release.
“We are expected to do more with less every year.”
Next steps are to be determined including further meetings with the Teachers Employer Bargaining Association, representing local school boards, on June 19 and 20 and possible dates in August.
With the strike vote the ATA has to 120 days to commence job action with 72 hours' notice. Action could including rotating strikes, work-to-rule or full-on walkouts.
The Pembina Hills School Division sent an email to parents on June 11 to provide some information on the situation.
“As of this writing no strike notice has been given, and we understand that more bargaining dates are scheduled this month,” said the Pembina Hills School Division email.
“Because this is a province-wide negotiation, any potential job action would affect all public school divisions in Alberta, including Pembina Hills.
“At this time, there is no disruption to learning. Our schools remain open, and classes, exams, and year-end activities are continuing as planned. We want to emphasize that teachers remain on the job and are committed to student learning.
“We are actively monitoring the situation between the ATA and provincial government and are committed to keeping families and staff informed as the process continues through updates on the division website.
“We value the dedication of our teachers and the invaluable work they do to support student learning and success. We respect the bargaining process and are hopeful that a settlement will be reached without a disruption to student learning.”
The teacher’s collective agreement expired in August 2024. There was a recommended settlement in late March but it was not ratified provincially by teachers.
Local school divisions and local ATA representatives are not part of negotiations.
