Finance Minister Nate Horner says ATA “misled families” in bargaining documents as strike deadline looms
EDMONTON — Alberta’s finance minister says the province has filed a labour board complaint against the Alberta Teachers’ Association over what it calls misleading bargaining claims, as teachers edge closer to a strike.
President of Treasury Board and Finance Minister Nate Horner said the association distributed “talking points” to teachers for discussions with parents and students that “falsely claims that the Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association (TEBA) does not have the mandate to ‘negotiate on important issues such as class complexity, class size, support for students.’”
“There are also other statements in the document that are misleading and confusing for parents, teachers and most importantly our kids, who are explicitly targeted by these communications,” Horner said in a statement Monday.
The finance minister said only salary demands remain unresolved. He said the province’s latest offer guarantees the hiring of 3,000 teachers over the next three years and provides “a salary increase of at least 12 per cent over four years with more than 95 per cent of teachers receiving more through a market adjustment, and would result in the best deal for teachers in all of Western Canada.”
“The information in the ATA document is inaccurate. It intentionally misinforms the public, parents and students,” Horner said. “TEBA has been left with no choice but to launch a legal challenge. The Alberta Labour Relations Board received our complaint today, asking the ATA and its president Jason Schilling to immediately retract their false claims and to stop using Alberta’s students and families for leverage in a bargaining dispute.”
Teachers have set an Oct. 6 strike deadline. Alberta is facing a $6.5-billion deficit, and Premier Danielle Smith has said the province’s 12 per cent wage offer is the most it can afford.
Horner said the government must act to counter “the false narrative the ATA has created.”
“The ATA’s leadership and communications strategy targeting families and children with false and misleading claims raises serious ethical concerns,” he said. “I look forward to a speedy resolution of this complaint with the Labour Relations Board. When we have our resolution, we will consider next steps.”
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