The government’s passage of Bill 2, the Back to School Act, in late October not only required teachers to end their lawful provincewide strike but also set new terms and conditions of employment for all Alberta teachers, referred to by the ATA as a “legislatively imposed settlement” (LIS). The move marked a significant escalation in the ongoing labour dispute, as the government intervened directly in the bargaining process.
This article reviews the settlement’s major provisions and what they mean for teachers.
Not a true collective agreement
Although the settlement uses the legal structure of a collective agreement, it
- was previously rejected by 89.5 per cent of teachers,
- was not reached through bargaining,
- eliminated ratification rights,
- suspended the right to strike, and
- imposed terms by legislation instead of agreement.
For these reasons, the ATA refers to it as a legislatively imposed settlement rather than a collective agreement. Of note, Bill 2 also freezes all local terms in every local collective agreement for the duration of the legislation, which is set to expire on August 31, 2028.
Work is under way to incorporate legislatively imposed terms into currently frozen local terms, forming the 2024–28 legislatively imposed settlement for each bargaining unit. Members can reference the terms and conditions of their LIS agreements, 2020–24 collective agreements and approved salary grid on the ATA website. Amalgamations will be posted for each local as they are compiled.
What teachers should know
The legislatively imposed settlement, effective from September 1, 2024 to August 31, 2028, includes the following provisions:
- Salary adjustments
- Three per cent increase to their local grid retroactive to September 1, 2024
- Three per cent increase to their local grid on September 1, 2025
- Movement to the unified salary grid (see below), which will see a three per cent increase on September 1, 2026 (except for five units: both Fort McMurray bargaining units, Fort Vermilion, Northland and Peace River, which will maintain their local salary grids and will have a three per cent increase)
- Three per cent increase to the unified grid and to the grids of the five excepted bargaining units on September 1, 2027
- Unified salary grid
- On September 1, 2026, almost all divisions will move to the Grande Prairie Public salary grid. The Fort McMurray bargaining units and the Fort Vermilion, Northland and Peace River bargaining units will retain their current grids.
- Substitute teacher changes
- Retroactive three per cent increase to substitute daily rates for 2024/25
- Standardized daily provincial rate (effective 2025/26 the rate is $271 per day, with three per cent increases in 2026/27 and 2027/28 school years) and partial-day rates
- Paid training provisions for substitute teachers (where they did not previously exist)
- Letters of understanding
- Recruitment of teachers (1,000 new teachers per year for three years)
- Northern and remote allowances
- Concurrent experience trial process
Learn more
Additional information on the implications of Bill 2 and the provisions under the legislatively imposed settlement is available on the ATA website (www.teachers.ab.ca).
For further information or assistance, please contact Teacher Employment Services at 1-800-232-7208.
