Rocky View Schools (RVS) Divisions and the local Alberta Teachers Association (ATA) reached an agreement to settle local bargaining for the 2020-2024 term last week.
Rocky View teachers voted in favour of a mediated memorandum of agreement (MMOA) at their meeting on Jan. 28, with 76 per cent of teachers in attendance accepting the agreement.
“Teachers were pleased that the employer’s negotiating team returned to the table even though they indicated earlier that they had gone as far as they could and would not be returning,” said Amrit Rai Nannan, president of Rocky View Local #35 in a statement to Airdrie City View.
“Improvements were made on key issues that were holding up the settlement. This agreement is on par with settlements found in neighbouring school boards and opens the door for improvements to the working conditions of distributive education teachers.”
According to Rai Nannan, although there is always room for further improvements, at this time improvements were made for online teachers, compensation for school administrators, and recognition for long service.
“We continue to raise concerns about teacher wellness as well as working conditions for all teachers in Rocky View,” she said. “These issues will continue to be at the forefront of our conversations with the board. Teacher's working conditions are our student's learning conditions.”
In an earlier statement on behalf of the RVS Board of Trustees, Chair Fiona Gilbert said they were pleased to have reached the agreement that addressed what they heard was important to RVS teachers.
"We deeply appreciate the passion, expertise, and hard work RVS teachers bring to their schools and classrooms every day,” Gilbert said. “We value all RVS teachers for their important contributions to students’ success, and we hope this agreement is a positive step forward."
Public school teachers in RVS requested a government-supervised strike vote in November 2023, after rejecting an initial proposal to settle negotiations.
ATA Rocky View Local No. 35, which represents teachers in Airdrie, Chestermere, Cochrane and Rocky View County, voted 99.6 per cent in favour at the time for moving toward a strike vote at its member meeting on Nov. 26.
Negotiations with the division were not for salaries, which are determined by the ATA’s provincial bargaining unit, but rather for localized initiatives pertaining to work conditions and supports needed in classrooms.
Rai Nannan said in November that RVS teachers felt "disrespected" at the time.
-With notes from Tim Kalinowski/ Great West Media.
