I wasn't a teacher. I have a few friends who taught school and university. They all talked about the lack of funding and cut backs and that was years ago in British Columbia. Alberta is threatening a teachers strike. I read this article and I hope they don't strike but can negotiate a fair wage, workplace improvements and benefits settlement.
Teachers shape the future of this province. They have given everything to their students, schools, and communities, yet their pay has fallen far behind, their workloads have soared, and their classrooms are bursting at the seams without the resources they need to do their job.
Teachers have sounded the alarm for years about the chronic underfunding but little has been done to address the issues. Teachers are tired of band aid solutions.
Public education in Alberta is in crisis—full stop. Whether the government chooses to acknowledge it or not, the reality is undeniable: our students are being shortchanged, and our teachers are being pushed to the brink.
Without bold, immediate, and sustained intervention from the government, the situation will only deteriorate further. The time for half-measures and political deflection is over—our kids deserve better, and so do the people who teach them.
Today, we are announcing that if a negotiated settlement is not achieved through bargaining, we will commence strike action on Monday, October 6.
We have heard the concerns of parents, students, and our members. They want clarity about what the future could potentially hold, and we are here today to give them that.
Teachers and parents are partners in education, and we respect the need you have to make plans. At the same time, the ATA will meet government at the table. They can now do the right thing and give teachers the fair deal they deserve. Our intent is to get to a negotiated settlement.
What teachers want is simple: classrooms that are properly funded, respect for the work they do, and wages that reflect their value to Alberta’s future. For the government to state that teachers would sacrifice their students’ learning conditions for salary is insulting. Teachers should not have to choose one or the other.
Alberta spends the least amount of money per student in the country. Teachers have put forward real solutions to address class size and complexity in classrooms. The government cannot continue to ignore the crisis in public education and then try to blame the very people who have been holding the system together for years.
Adding 3,000 teachers over the next three years is a start, but it doesn’t even begin to meet the needs created by years of neglect and record enrollment growth. The reality is this: teachers have received only a 5.75 per cent salary increase in the last decade—far below inflation.
A fair wage is not just about money; it is about respecting the value of teachers and ensuring Alberta can attract and retain them. When half of new teachers leave the profession within five years, it’s a clear sign the system is broken and unsustainable.
Teachers have taken bargaining seriously. As bargaining drags on, they continue to show up every day for students in good faith.
They are tired. They are tired of being disrespected and vilified by this government, tired of distractions that downplay the real issues, and tired of being asked to do more with less. Teachers’ patience has run out.
It is hypocritical for this government to claim it values education while spending the least in Canada. It’s time for this government to truly step up with a fair deal. We are ready to be at the table, and they’ve been invited to join us.
But let me be clear--October 6 is coming quickly. The choice is theirs: solve this dispute now or face a province-wide teachers’ strike.
Because a fair deal for teachers means stronger classrooms for kids
