While students are anxiously awaiting Christmas break, teachers employed within the St. Paul Education Regional Division gathered on Dec. 18 and voted 90 per cent in favour of authorizing the Alberta Teachers' Association to request a government-supervised strike vote.
A press release sent out late in the day on Wednesday by the ATA notes that SPERD teachers have been working for over 30 months without a finalized collective agreement.
On Tuesday night, teachers voted to reject the terms for settlement "because they offered no substantial improvements over an agreement previously rejected by teachers in November," according to the ATA media release.
A legislated two-week cooling off period has now commenced, and the authorization for a strike vote allows ATA negotiators to apply for a strike vote after the two-week period has lapsed.
"If a strike mandate is approved, teachers could legally strike after providing 48 hours notice to the employer," reads the ATA release.
SPERD board chair Heather Starosielski said a full response from SPERD is expected in the coming days.
"The board is currently evaluating and planning next steps."
She also noted that "The board of trustees is disappointed and surprised that in the last month the ATA has twice voted down settlements that were supported by the Local ATA Negotiations Committee, the provincial ATA representative and the government-appointed mediator."
See the Dec. 25th issue of the St. Paul for more coverage.
