Alberta’s public school teachers have delivered a strong mandate for potential strike action, with nearly 95 per cent of voters supporting a strike amid ongoing contract negotiations.
Between June 5 and 8, almost 39,000 members of the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) cast ballots in what the union called a historic vote for change.
“By voting to strike, teachers are sending an unmistakable message: we are united, we are determined, and we will no longer hold up a crumbling public education system,” the ATA said in an official statement.
The vote grants teachers a 120-day window to initiate strike action, meaning classrooms across Alberta could be disrupted as early as the start of the 2025–26 school year if a new agreement is not reached.
“This timeline gives us room to pursue meaningful progress at the table,” ATA officials stated, citing upcoming Central Table Bargaining Committee (CTBC) meetings with the Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association (TEBA)scheduled for June 19 and 20, with further dates set for August, if needed.
ATA president Jason Schilling said the overwhelming result reflects deep frustration among educators.
“For too long, teachers have been propping up a system that is under-resourced and overburdened,” said Schilling. “We are expected to do more with less every year. The government needs to act now, because Alberta’s kids can’t wait.”
Schilling said the top concerns include large class sizes, increasing classroom complexity, lack of supports, and wages that have not kept pace with inflation.
“Alberta spends less per student on public education than any other province in Canada while the needs of our classrooms grow more complex every day,” he said.
Schilling said with this vote, "teachers are sending an unmistakable message."
"We are united. We're determined, and we will no longer hold up a crumbling public education system that this government fails to fund properly," he said.
Schilling said the strike vote was not just about securing higher pay but also about demanding respect, better resources and a stronger future for education in Alberta.
"It's about our students who are slipping through the cracks. It is about our colleagues who are burning out and leaving the profession. It is about our working conditions, which are our students' learning conditions," said Schilling.
According to the ATA, schools are missing key supports including education assistants, learning coaches, mental health professionals, and speech-language experts—resources Schilling describes as essential, not optional.
“We needed to see a 13.5 per cent increase to Budget 2025 to be at the Canadian average on per-student spending,” said Schilling. “As of now, students aren’t getting the one-on-one attention they deserve.”
Central table bargaining began in early 2024, shaped by feedback from teachers through a provincewide survey. By fall, a mediator was brought in to assist with complex issues, but in May 2025, ATA members rejected the mediator’s recommendation by 62 per cent, with more than 81 per cent of registered members voting.
While Alberta Budget 2025 included an overall increase to education spending, Schilling noted that operational funding—which covers day-to-day expenses—remained flat, compounding stress for teachers and limiting learning conditions.
“Instead of thriving, students are merely surviving,” said Schilling. “A January survey showed 69 per cent of teachers reported increased class sizes. Some schools are even using libraries, gyms, boot rooms and learning commons as makeshift classrooms.”
With a clear strike mandate and heightened urgency, the Provincial Executive Council (PEC) will meet June 12–13 to determine next steps, as teachers push forward under an enhanced mandate to reshape Alberta’s public education system.
-With files from Jessica Campbell/ Great West Media
