The Alberta Teachers’ Association

The Importance of Being Elected

This issue of the ATA Magazine focuses on the remarkable contributions to the teaching profession in Alberta and to our organization of John Walker Barnett, the Alberta Teachers’ Association’s first general secretary-treasurer. Barnett devoted almost three decades to the advancement of Alberta’s teachers and his legacy is remarkable.

While there is no question about Barnett’s influence on Alberta’s teachers, I think it is important to recognize that the Alberta Teachers’ Association does not rely on one person to take forward the charge. We all must work together to be successful and to advance our interests, both professional and union. In Barnett’s day just like today, there was heavy reliance on the work of elected officials and rank-and-file members, not just on the efforts of the general secretary-treasurer.

Executive Council of the Alberta Teachers’ Association, 1939-1941
—Archives of the Alberta Teachers’ Association

It is important to have a coordinated effort to achieve political goals. In the early years of the Alberta Teachers’ Alliance, members of Provincial Executive Council went to extraordinary lengths to deliver messages to respective education ministers. When Education Minister George P. Smith (minister from 1918–1921) made abusive statements about Barnett and other members of Provincial Executive Council, the minister was publicly censured by the Association. In fact, as Smith became more and more a puppet of school trustees, Association elected officials became more and more agitated. It was not uncommon for members of Council to follow Smith around and heckle him at various functions so that he couldn’t even deliver his prepared speeches.

Teachers’ pension issues in 2007 were resolved by effectively engaging elected officials (Provincial Executive Council and government), ATA members and the secretariat (ATA executive). The issue especially had traction among our members, who made clear their expectations that the component of teachers’ pension contributions devoted to a cross-generational transfer of funding had to stop. ATA President Frank Bruseker pushed Ed Stelmach (then a candidate for the premier’s office), to commit to take over this portion of teachers’ pension contributions, and he did. Once in office, Premier Stelmach made good on his promise, but the point here is that all the components of the lobbying effort are important. ATA members did their share. President Bruseker opened doors with Premier Stelmach. The secretariat worked with representatives of the government and together reached an agreement to deliver on the key commitment.

We all have to play our role in making the Association an effective organization. Although Barnett’s contributions were historic, we still need members, elected officials and the secretariat to work together. Without meaningful member commitment, a single leader—like Barnett—cannot be successful. So although the spotlight in this issue of the magazine is on John Barnett, he could not have built our profession and our organization without the dedication of elected officials and the courage and commitment of rank-and-file members. Together we can work to make significant changes.