The Alberta Teachers’ Association recently published a bargaining update on their website.
Their most recent collective agreement expired last August.
The Central Table Bargaining Committee of the ATA has been meeting with the Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association, which represents the various employers (such as school boards) throughout Alberta that represent ATA members.
Bargaining began for a central agreement on 7 June 2024.
By the autumn, however, it was clear that the teachers and the employers weren’t going to come to a consensus on some issues, such as wages. As a result, negotiations went to mediation, with Deborah Howes being appointed mediator on 14 November 2024.
During negotiations, the employers offered 3% per year, but the ATA felt that was insufficient. And that makes sense, given that their wages were frozen between 2015 and 2022 and they got less than 4% in their last contract to make up for it.
| 1 September 2016 | 0.00% |
| 1 September 2017 | 0.00% |
| 1 September 2018 | 0.00% |
| 1 September 2019 | 0.00% |
| 1 September 2020 | 0.00% |
| 1 September 2021 | 0.00% |
| 1 June 2022 | 0.50% |
| 1 September 2022 | 1.25% |
| 1 September 2023 | 2.00% |
The consumer price index in Alberta, however, increased from 134.6 in September 2015 to 160.1 in September 2022. That’s a rise 18.95%.
Inflation rose nearly 19%, and they got a mere 3.75% to counter it.
That leaves them with a real wage cut of 15.2%. If we add in inflation between September 2022 and September 2024, when a new collective agreement would kick in, that real wage cut grows to 21.96%.
Giving teachers 12% over 4 years won’t make up for a cut to real wages of nearly 22%, especially when you consider that inflation will increase during the life of the new contract as well.
According to a mediator’s report released late last month, the ATA claimed that “general wage increases of 3% per year would need to be bolstered by something like the unified grid structure, to allow teachers to see increases not seen in recent rounds of central table.”
The mediator agreed and has recommended 3% wage increases in every year of the 4-year contract as well as a common wage grid in all but 5 school divisions:
- Fort McMurray School Division
- Fort McMurray Roman Catholic Separate School Division
- Fort Vermilion School Division
- Northland School Division
- Peace River School Division
The unified grid increase would take effect in February 2027, 7 months before the final 3% increase scheduled for 1 September 2027.
The ATA claims that the unified grid increase could be an additional 0.55%–6.53% for its members who work in the affected school divisions. In total, teachers would receive between 12.55% and 18.53% over the course of the contract.
Both ends of the range fall short of eliminating the 21.96% shortfall that has accumulated over the last decade. Remember, that’s not even including the inflation over the next 4 years.
While the new increase is the largest they’ve seen in a decade and will take a huge chunk out of the real wage deficit, it won’t eliminate that deficit, particularly when accounting for 4 more years of inflation.
For example, if inflation is 2% year, it’ll be 8% over 4 years, taking out three-quarters of the low end of the wage increase range.
A raise of between 12.55% and 18.53% is significant on the surface, but employers must realize that giving workers year after year of wage freezes erodes the significance of raises like that.
Wage freezes are anti-worker.
The ratification vote will occur online between the 2nd and 5th of May.
Update (6 May 2025): The teachers voted 61.99% to not ratify this agreement. 81.07% of teachers who were eligible to vote did so. This will trigger a 14-day cooling off period, following which the teachers could hold a strike vote, which could then be used as leverage to improve concessions from the provincial government.
Update (10 June 2025): A majority of teachers voted to authorize a strike. With 38,997 teachers participating, 94.5% voted in favour of striking.
10 replies on “Mediator recommends pay increase for AB teachers”
Nurses just got 20% Teachers deserve the same.
NWT, YT and NT teachers max out at 145k+ per year today. Manitoba teachers max out at 125k today. Ontario teachers max out at 117k today. BC teachers max out at 111k today. Alberta teachers max out at 105k today. A distant 7th in Canada. This agreement will not bring Alberta teacher salaries in line with today’s salaries in those other provinces until 2027 at the earliest, and by then those teachers will have further increases. Unacceptable.
The overall sentiment is correct with this article, but it underestimates the wage chasm that’s opened up from the last 12 years. Since 2011, inflation, according to to Alberta CPI, has increased by 30.5% while raises have amounted to 3.75%, plus a 1% lump sum once. That’s a gap of 26.75%. A fair deal would be restoration after past sacrifices; an immediate 26.75% raise. The offer of 2.55% over 4 years is status quo, meeting future inflation, and entrenched and codifying a new and terrible normal.
The unified grid is a great idea, but leaves teachers in a space somewhere between terrible and deplorable depending on their school division.
It doesn’t underestimate the chasm since 2011; it never estimated the chasm since 2021.
Fair point Kim, I simply think we should accommodate those years as well when considering the chasm. Overall, we agree that at face value total percent can look good, but the moment you look at past losses, it looks terrible. (Also, correction on my previous comment, 12.55%, not 2.55% increase). Thanks for the article.
Not only is Alberta behind in wages but Alberta teachers teach more students on average. Most other provinces have classroom caps of 28-32 for high school. MANY Alberta high school classes are in the 38-45 range. So less money for more responsibility.
Keep in mind: More the pay, less number the teachers.
Seems like something the province should be addressing.
The Provincial Executive Council (PEC) updated teachers on the mediation talks and recommended that the teachers accept the offer. I am hearing that approximately 70% of teachers reject the offer and are openly wondering why the PEC would accept this offer given the historic erosion of teacher pay and the current classroom size problem. Rather than just present the offer for teachers to evaluate the PEC is cheerleading the offer.
I wonder what their motivation is?
Re classroom size – apparently the offer recommended by PEC says they will “discuss” classroom size issues in the future.
Currently Alberta is short of teachers and classroom space. It is good that new schools are going to be built. Unfortunately by the time they are in service, due to lack of foresight and forecast population increases, there will still be a classroom shortage.
Additionally, with this low ball offer from the employers, endorsed by the PEC, there will not be sufficient teachers in Alberta to staff the new schools.
This is the best we can do for the people and students of Alberta?
I have lost faith that they will do anything meaningful to address classroom sizes in Alberta; with that in mind, I am willing to take job action to increase my salary. I have 34-39 students in my grade 8 classes, and frankly, I’ll take 50 if it means a 20% raise. What’s the difference? I need to use AI to plan and mark this high number anyway, and I am personally choosing the work to rule. When they’re prepared to pay the proper price for education, I will go above and beyond for my students, but until then, I am giving them my minimum. If PEC thinks we are accepting 12.55% over four years, then they are truly out of touch with the membership.