Page Content
On March 31, Statistics Canada released its final employment, wages, salaries and earnings figures for the 2010 calendar year and, based upon the reported increase in Alberta Average Weekly Earnings (AAWE), it appears that teachers are due to receive a 4.54 per cent salary increase beginning September 1, 2011.
The 2007 framework agreement concluded between the Alberta Teachers’ Association and the provincial government, the terms of which are reflected in collective agreements across the province, provided for a 3.0 per cent increase in teacher salaries for 2007/08 and, thereafter, linked teacher salary increases for the 2008/09, 2009/10, 2010/11 and 2011/12 school years to the average increase in AAWE over the previous calendar year. Under the agreement, teacher collective agreements were settled for five years, guaranteeing an extended period of labour peace. As well, the pre-1992 liability of the teachers’ pension plan was fully funded.
Statistics Canada reported that AAWE averaged over the 2010 calendar year was $993.16—in 2009, the figure was $950.01. Alberta continues to have the highest average weekly earnings among the provinces.
The five-year agreement expires at the end of the 2011/12 school year. Barring the negotiation and acceptance of a successor framework agreement, local school authorities and teacher bargaining units will, once again, engage in local collective bargaining to set salaries and benefits for 2012/13 and beyond.
