Teachers employed by the Edmonton School Division have averted potential strike action by voting 96 per cent in favour of accepting the employer’s latest offer of settlement.
On Dec. 12, Edmonton Public teachers had voted in favour of requesting a government-supervised strike vote. However, on Dec. 22 the board came forward with a revised offer, so the local proceeded instead with a ratification vote on Jan. 14.
“While teachers are frustrated that they had to escalate to this point, I think teachers feel good about the agreement,” said Heather Quinn, president of Edmonton Public Local No. 37.
Agreement highlights include
- a fall break of at least four days connected to a weekend
- a committee to explore workload issues for teachers at Argyll Centre, which focuses on remote learning
- three lieu days for school administrators for work completed during the summer break
- paid professional development time for supply (substitute) teachers
- a provision stating that participation in extracurricular activities on weekends, holidays and evenings is voluntary
- elimination of parking fees at schools.
More than 1,600 teachers attended the in-person meeting. The agreement affects approximately 7,000 teachers. The school board is expected to vote on the agreement on Jan. 23. ❚
President
Edmonton Public Local No. 37
