Today, the Alberta Teachers' Association is taking two significant and coordinated steps to defend members' rights and uphold the commitments made during central bargaining.
- Filing a Labour Relations Board (LRB) complaint for unfair labour practices including bad-faith bargaining, directed at the Teachers' Employer Bargaining Association (TEBA); and
- Filing 61 grievances—one in each bargaining unit—regarding TEBA's and employers' interpretation of the Recruitment of Teachers Letter of Understanding (LOU).
These actions directly respond to recent Government of Alberta (GOA) statements claiming that the hiring of 3,000 FTE new teachers over the next three years—including 1,000 FTEs in 2025/26— referred to hiring that was already funded in the provincial budget released in March 2025. This position conflicts with both the ATA's understanding and the plain language of the Recruitment LOU.
Why the ATA Is Taking Action Now
- TEBA's Bad-Faith Bargaining and Failure to Disclose Key Information
During central bargaining:
- The ATA proposed a Letter of Understanding on June 19, 2025, requiring divisions to hire 1,000 certified teachers annually, in addition to the recruitment already planned in the Government's 2025 budget ($1.1B to hire more than 4,000 teachers, EAs, and support staff over three years).
- TEBA subsequently engaged with this proposal and submitted its own Recruitment LOU on August 26, 2025, committing to 1,000 "net new" teachers annually for 2025/26, 2026/27, and 2027/28.
At all stages, the ATA understood—and TEBA's bargaining conduct implied—that these 3,000 teachers were additional to the staffing already funded and announced in Budget 2025.
The LRB complaint states that TEBA failed to disclose that its interpretation of "net new" meant something very different:
TEBA now claims the 1,000 hires per year were not in addition to the budgeted hiring, but simply additional to the previous year's complement, effectively meaning no new funding and no new teachers beyond what Budget 2025 had already allocated.
This failure to honestly disclose its position constitutes:
- Bad-faith bargaining under section 60 of the Labour Relations Code; and
- A misrepresentation that impacted the ATA's decision-making and the membership's understanding during ratification.
- TEBA and Government Interference in the ATA's Representation of Members
The complaint also addresses government statements that publicly questioned the ATA's motives and misrepresented its actions during bargaining. These remarks undermined the ATA's credibility with members and hindered the Association's rights to represent members under section 148 of the Code.
61 Grievances Filed Across All Bargaining Units
In parallel, the ATA is filing 61 grievances—one for each school division—challenging TEBA's and employers' interpretation of the Recruitment LOU.
The grievances assert that:
- The LOU plainly requires hiring 1,000 net new FTE teachers per year on top of what Budget 2025 funded.
- TEBA's and employers' new interpretation is inconsistent with the language of the LOU, the context in which the LOU was bargained, and the duty of good faith in administering collective agreement obligations.
- In the alternative, TEBA and employers are estopped from relying on their new interpretation because the ATA bargained, communicated, and acted based on TEBA's earlier representations. (Estoppel means that you cannot promise — or fail to act on — one thing, let someone act on that promise — or your failure to act — and then later say the opposite.)
Remedies sought include:
- A declaration that the 1,000 net new teachers per year must be funded and hired over and above the 2025 fiscal plan;
- An order compelling TEBA to fulfill that obligation for the 2025/26 school year;
- Damages, to be determined at arbitration.
All 61 grievances will be carried centrally by TEBA, as required by the LOU.
What Members Need to Know
- The ATA is taking strong action to enforce the Recruitment LOU and hold TEBA and the government accountable for their bargaining commitments.
- The Government's recent claim that these teachers were already funded in Budget 2025 contradicts bargaining context, TEBA's own documents and conduct, and the language of the LOU.
- These filings safeguard the integrity of the LOU as bargained and the rights of teachers under the Labour Relations Code.
- Members can anticipate additional updates as the grievance and LRB procedures progress.
Summary
The ATA is submitting a Labour Relations Board complaint and 61 grievances this Friday to ensure the government and employer uphold their commitments to hire 3,000 new teachers over the next three years.
These actions respond to recent government assertions that the 3,000 hires were already funded in the March 2025 provincial budget. That assertion contradicts the Recruitment LOU bargained at the central table, which committed TEBA to hiring 1,000 net new teachers per year beyond existing budget allocations.
The LRB complaint claims that TEBA bargained in bad faith by not revealing its true stance on teacher hiring, and that government statements interfered with the ATA's ability to represent its members. The grievances and complaint seek declarations, enforcement orders, and damages.
If you have questions, contact Teacher Employment Services at 1-800-232-7208.