At its January meeting, Provincial Executive Council (PEC) addressed several issues emerging from the 2025 teachers’ strike. One focus was the financial impact of the labour action. Two main initiatives emerged from the meeting:
1. Reducing the 2025/26 annual fee
Recognizing the financial loss experienced by teachers during the strike, PEC wishes to forgo the membership fees that were not collected for October 2025.
Any changes to levies applied at the local level will be communicated to you by your local president.
2. Restoring the SEF
The Special Emergency Fund (SEF) is intended to fund extraordinary expenditures relating to collective bargaining, including the costs related to strike action. October’s provincewide strike effectively depleted the SEF, which at the outset of the labour action had assets of $25.5 million.
By far the greatest liability covered by the fund was the cost of reimbursing school boards for maintaining member health benefits during the strike. It is estimated that this cost alone will total $24 million. Additional expenditures relating to supporting strike action, post‑strike responses and legal challenges to Bill 2 will bring the total cost of the strike for the Association to between $25 and $26 million.
To replenish the SEF, $3 million from the Association’s operations budget and $2 million from the Defence and Advocacy Fund will be transferred to the account. It was PEC’s decision that the remainder will be financed through the collection of $40 per month per member. This special assessment will commence on February 1, 2026, and continue until the SEF has returned to its pre‑strike level. It is estimated that this will occur within 16 months.
Bargaining Review Committee
In addition to the financial considerations outlined above, PEC also established a Committee on the Review of Central Table Bargaining to examine the processes and outcomes of bargaining in the 2020 and 2024 rounds. The report of the committee is anticipated to be completed by October 2026, allowing an opportunity for any potential recommendations requiring budget or policy changes to be brought forward in time for Annual Representative Assembly (ARA) 2027.
Any questions you may have with regard to the 2025/26 annual fee, the SEF or the Committee on the Review of Central Table Bargaining should be directed toward your district representative.
A full listing of district representatives and their contact information can be found on the ATA website.