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This is an article in a new series by the Teacher Welfare program area of the Alberta Teachers’ Association.
The question appears simple, yet generations have pondered it. The term union has had a negative connotation ever since trade unions were first formed in the 18th century. Unions have long been viewed by some as the bullies and troublemakers of the work world. So why would you want to belong to one?
If you were to read the first issue of the ATA Magazine, published in 1920, you would realize that negative ideas of unions existed back then and our leaders boldly expressed their opinions of the people who held those views.
Do you meet people who express doubts about the propriety of teachers’ organizations, and advise you to keep clear of anything so banal or ‘common’ as a union?
Mark these persons. They are your enemy. They fear organization, much preferring that you remain what you are, an individual powerless to resist domination.
—ATA Magazine, June 1920, Volume 1, p. 1
Imagine a beginning teacher bargaining her collective agreement on her own and having to negotiate her individual salary, benefits and working conditions. A teacher in this position, especially one with little or no experience or understanding of bargaining, would be overwhelmed and extremely easy to take advantage of. Bargaining in this manner would lead to individualism—everyone for himself.
Individualism does not exist in teachers’ collective bargaining processes. The voices of the many are stronger than the voice of the one. Collective bargaining supports a basic tenet of democracy—protecting minority rights. A teachers’ bargaining unit is bound by the duty of fair representation to represent all teachers in the negotiations process.
More than individual employment relations, collective bargaining provides workers with a collective voice that ensures workers receive adequate wages and enjoy good working conditions. In fact, many of the gains made by workers in the past century have their roots in unions. Workers who are well paid and enjoy good working conditions are happier and more productive, so unions benefit employers as well.
The Alberta Teachers’ Association is the collective voice of Alberta’s teachers. The Association improves the teaching profession by promoting conditions of practice that produce the best level of professional service. Within the Association, it is the responsibility of teachers to make their voices heard through meetings, surveys, committees and their representatives. And it is their duty as professionals to be active within their profession.
