ATA sets Oct. 6 as strike date; negotiations ongoing
By Lethbridge Herald on September 11, 2025.
Nathan Reiter
Lethbridge Herald
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) has a date marked out to take strike action.
During a press conference on Wednesday morning, ATA president Jason Schilling announced that strike action would commence on Monday, Oct. 6 if a new negotiated settlement is not reached by that date.
“Our kids deserve better, and so do the people who teach them. We’ve heard the concerns of parents, students, and our members.” Schilling explained. “They want clarity about what the future could potentially hold, and we’re giving them that here today. Teachers and parents are partners in education, and we respect that you have to make plans. At the same time, the ATA will meet the government at the table. They can now do the right thing and give teachers the fair deal they deserve.”
One major area of concern for the STF was the issue of classroom complexity, which
Similar issues are sticking points in the negotiations in Alberta.
Schilling says the ATA has not yet determined what the strike action they will take at this time.
“When we prepare executive council meets to discuss next steps, these are things that we can consider. Teachers have been very clear with me over the last several weeks since we last met in this room and actually since the spring, but they’re looking for ways to make sure that we can make our point across. If it’s a full strike, then it’s a full strike and council will make that decision.”
Classroom complexity was a major issue in Saskatchewan this past April, when the province and the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) agreed to a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. The Saskatchewan government did not want to include classroom complexity in the new agreement, but it was added in as a result of independent arbitration.
Prior to that, the STF implemented various levels of job sanctions leading up to reaching the agreement. Some of the sanctions included work-to-rule, which required teachers withdrawing all voluntary services including noon-hour supervision and extracurricular activities.
In an open letter to Premier Danielle Smith and education minister Demetrios Nicolaides, Joe McFarland of Airdrie spoke about his wife’s experience as an educator teaching Grade 1. He mentioned that she has 25 students in her classroom with the ideal size for that age level being 18.
“Teachers, including my wife, are tired of being talked down to while they play the roles of educator, librarian, researcher, speech language pathologist, psychologist, janitor and friend for our province’s young people,” wrote McFarland.
Schilling shared a similar sentiment.
“What teachers want is simple. Classrooms that are properly funded, respect for the work that they do, and wages that reflect their value to Alberta’s future. For the government to state that teachers would sacrifice students’ learning conditions for salary is insulting. Teachers should not have to choose one for 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 our classrooms. The government cannot continue to ignore the crisis in public education.”
15-14
Hopefully there is a fair agreement before the teachers strike or are locked out.
We need to increase funding for the public school system so employees receive liveable wages.