ST. PAUL - Negotiations between the St. Paul Education board of trustees and the Alberta Teachers’ Association, Greater St. Paul Local #25, have been completed for the current year.
Earlier this month, teachers who work with St. Paul Education Regional Division voted in favour of a memorandum of agreement.
“On Tuesday, January 21, the teachers of SPERD voted overwhelmingly in favour (97 per cent) to accept the memorandum of agreement. I was impressed by the comments from teachers, expressing their satisfaction with the conclusion of negotiations and the enhancements included in the memorandum,” said ATA Local President Connie Landsiedel in a media release sent out Jan. 30.
This round of negotiations was for the time period of September 1, 2018, to August 31, 2020.
Speaking with the Journal later that afternoon, Landsiedel said it was nice to be finished negotiations earlier this time around. In December of 2018, teachers with St. Paul Education had authorized a strike vote during the last round of negotiations. An agreement was reached in February of 2019, and a strike was avoided.
“I would like to thank the negotiating teams from the local and the division for their time and work to bring these negotiations to a conclusion,” said Landsiedel, when speaking of the most recent agreement.
When asked what issues specifically were being discussed this time around, Landsiedel noted that substitute teachers who work a half day will now get 60 per cent of their daily wage, rather than 50 per cent.
Often, substitute teachers can’t book two half days in one day due to not having enough time to travel from one school to the next, which means they are only able to take on one half day if that is what’s required. She notes that if a substitute teacher does book two half days in one day, they still only get paid for one full day of work, and not 120 per cent of the wage.
Another item up for discussion was health spending accounts.
“Key to completing the deal is the option for teachers to now be able to split their health spending account with a wellness account,” said St. Paul Education board chair Heather Starosielski, speaking with the Journal on Friday.
While a health spending account is strictly for medical needs, a wellness account can cover items such as gym memberships, or other things that contribute to wellness. There isn’t more money being put toward the accounts, but just a difference in how it can be spent, said Landsiedel.
Changes to inclement weather absence, removal of references to Alberta Health Care premiums, and a Letter of Understanding to strike a joint committee to discuss access to teacher professional development was also part of negotiations, according to Starosielski.
Landsiedel acknowledges that it was a good experience “ to sit down and have these discussions.” She added that teachers are aware of budget limitations facing school divisions across the province, and both parties went in with a realistic approach.
On Jan. 29, St. Paul Education board of trustees voted unanimously to accept the agreement.
“On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I would like to thank our teachers for their assistance in concluding a productive negotiation process,” said Starosielski, in the media release.
“The board views the bargaining process as a tool to further the educational wellbeing of all students, while recognizing that quality relationships with employees are very important. All of this must be balanced with obtaining a financially sustainable agreement,” said Starosielski.
“Fortunately, we were able to conclude negotiations as quickly as possible. I attribute this to everyone recognizing the fiscal reality that all of Alberta is experiencing and working diligently to practice restraint," said Starosielski.
ATA bargaining is split between a provincial central table and a local table. Local bargaining could not start until the central table completed their negotiations, explains the board chair. The central table concluded in the spring of 2019, and boards were then able to begin setting dates to meet with Local ATA groups. Oct.10, 2019, was when opening proposals were exchanged between St. Paul Education and Greater St. Paul Local no. 25.
Provincial negotiations with teachers are once again set to begin this spring. Items negotiated on the provincial level include wages and other larger monetary items.
