Pay attention and participate. Those are the two keys for any teacher as local bargaining proceeds throughout the province, says Sean Brown, the ATA’s associate co-ordinator of collective bargaining.
“People have to stay informed and engage in the process,” Brown said.
Engagement means attending bargaining general meetings, paying attention to information provided by the Teacher Welfare Committee and providing the committee with a personal email address so they can quickly communicate bargaining-related information.
Brown noted that bargaining unit general meetings (known as BUGMs) don’t have a quorum, so whoever attends makes the decision for the entire bargaining unit.
“If you want a say in what will happen in your future, you need to show up,” he said.
All 61 bargaining units are open for local bargaining. The process involves gathering teacher input through surveys and other means, creating an initial proposal for member approval, then proceeding with bargaining meetings.
About half of bargaining units are at the information gathering stage, whereas some have started actual bargaining.
While each local has its own issues, a common theme is re-establishing relationships and improving teachers’ ability to participate in the decision-making that takes place at the division and school levels, Brown said.
A lot of remote decision-making took place during the pandemic, which eroded teachers’ ability to participate to the level they’ve been used to, so many locals are looking to restore teacher voice through collaborative decision-making models such as liaison committees.
“There’s a big focus on relationships at the local tables,” Brown said. ❚
