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Question: I understand that a tripartite agreement is very near and will be announced soon. What will happen next?
Answer: Your assumption that a tripartite agreement is very near is not correct. We simply ran out of time (we were operating under a self-imposed October 31 deadline), and we need a few more days to either reach an agreement or conclude that an agreement is not possible. We continue to be hopeful, but reaching an agreement will require the achievement of key Association interests. Our members are very concerned about increasing workload demands (especially tasks assigned by their employer) and instructional requirements well beyond provincial standards. We will need to make sufficient progress on these and other key concerns before signing an agreement.
Should discussions produce something that may interest the Association and school boards, we anticipate that the government would propose an agreement, and Provincial Executive Council would assess the proposal and decide whether to recommend it to teachers. The board of directors of the Alberta School Boards Association (ASBA) would do the same with respect to school boards. Should Council and the ASBA recommend the proposal, the Association, through each bargaining unit and each school board, would vote on the proposal, and each school board would do the same. It is anticipated that a provincial agreement would set key elements of each collective agreement and provide for local bargaining on remaining items, with a dispute-resolution process to ensure no strikes or lockouts. Again, should an agreement be reached, it would have to be approved by Provincial Executive Council and ratified by the Association in each bargaining unit.
Questions for consideration in this column are welcome. Please address them to Gordon Thomas at Barnett House (gordon.thomas@ata.ab.ca).
