Alberta teachers reject government contract offer, setting up provincewide strike

EDMONTON — Alberta teachers have rejected the provincial government’s latest contract offer, setting the stage for a provincewide strike next week.

The Alberta Teachers’ Association, which represents 51,000 teachers across the province, announced Monday that nearly 90 per cent of those who voted over the past three days rejected the deal.

Union president Jason Schilling told reporters the “historical” no vote was a sign of just how disrespected teachers are feeling and a clear indication that teachers need more to succeed than what the province is offering.

“Teachers have been told time and time again the government will make it right the next time,” said Schilling.

“Well, the next time is here.”

The rejected offer, which stemmed from a brief bargaining session earlier this month following a break in talks, included a 12-per-cent pay raise over four years and a government promise to hire 3,000 more teachers to address class sizes.

Teachers also would’ve had the cost of their COVID-19 vaccines covered by the government as part of the offer, which varied little from the province’s previous proposal that teachers already rejected earlier this year.

Finance Minister Nate Horner said Monday he was disappointed with the vote as he believed the offer would’ve addressed major issues for teachers, such as overcrowded classrooms.

“With over 50,000 new students added to our education system in the last two years, these investments were needed now more than ever,” Horner said in a statement.

He also laid blame on union leaders for not explaining clearly what teachers are looking for.

“This is the second time teachers have rejected a potential settlement that provided what their union said teachers wanted in response to growing classroom complexities,” he said.

“I encourage the (union’s) leadership to take time to meet with their members and gain clarity on what teachers are seeking out of a deal. Students and families deserve stability.”

Premier Danielle Smith, speaking at an unrelated event Monday evening in Calgary, said she was also disappointed and that her government would announce supports for families on Tuesday should teachers go on strike.

Schilling said the union is open to further negotiations, but all signs are pointing to teachers hitting the picket lines next Monday.

A strike would see classes disrupted for more than 700,000 students across 2,500 schools.

Schilling said teachers know the impact that a strike could have, but he said families and students already know the impact of underfunded public education, and that they deserve better too.

“This is bigger than a contract,” said Schilling.

“Teachers are not just fighting for themselves, they’re fighting for every student, every family, and for the very future of public education in this province.”

He added that the government’s hiring commitments — including 1,500 full-time educational assistants — would do little to address the overcrowded and overwhelming classroom conditions teachers are facing.

“Public education is in a crisis right now. Let’s not sugar coat that,” he said.

“Teachers are looking for something more concrete, more sustainable, that they can see, that will move forward into the future, that will help them meet the needs of their students.”

He also said teachers deserved a bigger salary bump, noting that over the past decade teachers have seen raises of less than six per cent while their workload increased substantially.

Opposition NDP education critic Amanda Chapman said the government needed to stop insulting teachers by offering the same terms again and again.

“It is disappointing the (United Conservative Party) government has let it get to this point and now thousands of Alberta teachers will hit the picket lines, while parents are scrambling to make arrangements, and our kids’ learning is put on hold,” Chapman said.

“They need to come back to the table to negotiate in good faith and offer a deal that works to ensure Alberta teachers are valued and treated fairly.”

The province declined to comment Monday on whether the government would order teachers back to work through legislation in the event of a strike.

Justice Minister Mickey Amery told the Calgary Herald over the weekend that the government would consider issuing a back-to-work order as a last resort.

Teachers were ordered back to work after nearly three weeks during the last provincewide strike in 2002, which involved more than 20,000 teachers.

Then-premier Ralph Klein’s government had its back-to-work order overturned in court, but union leaders agreed to go through binding arbitration rather than have teachers return to the picket line.

Schilling said union leaders would need to read the order and consider their next steps this time around, if Smith’s government was to follow Klein’s footsteps.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 29, 2025.

— With files from Matthew Scace in Calgary

Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press