4 ❚ The ATA News , January 13, 2026
ATA files 61 grievances, alleges bad-faith bargaining
provincial budget, the government has taken the position that the new hires include those already budgeted. “We were clear in our understanding and messaging from the province,” said Brown. “At the time, the province said that they gave teachers what they asked for. However, that appears to no longer be the case.” The ATA’s position is that the intent of the discussions from the bargaining table should be respected. “The government’s current stance contradicts the very context in which the initial deal was struck and what was, in the end, legislatively imposed.” Brown said. “The government’s statements now that the hiring was already part of the budget calls into question the government’s desire to actually decrease class size and address classroom complexity.” Allegations of bargaining in bad faith In its filing with the LRB, the ATA argues the matter constitutes a violation of the Labour Relations Code, claiming TEBA’s silence on their “net new” definition misled the Association and its members during the ratification process. The bargaining in bad faith complaint filed with the LRB also cites government interference, alleging that public statements from the Government of Alberta questioned the ATA’s motives and undermined its ability to represent its members. Additional local grievances filed Just one week after the submission of the original 61 grievances and LRB complaint, an additional three grievances were filed on behalf of the Calgary Public, Calgary Separate and St. Paul locals.These complaints centre
Mark Milne ATA News Staff F ollowing the imposition of a settlement for teachers, the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) is taking steps to ensure the Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association (TEBA) is upholding its commitments. On December 12, the ATA launched a coordinated legal offensive against TEBA, filing a Labour Relations Board (LRB) complaint and 61 grievances, one against each public, catholic and francophone school division in the province. The LRB filing specifically alleges bad-faith bargaining regarding a commitment
LINDSAY YAKIMYSHYN ATA President Jason Schilling at a press conference on Dec. 12, announcing the ATA’s 61 grievances and Labour Relations Board complaint
to hire new teachers. 61grievances filed
on the corresponding school boards’ deferring earned teacher retroactive pay until at least January 2026. The ATA maintains the school boards should have known that retroactive pay was a significant possibility since May 2025 and should have taken appropriate steps to be prepared for that likelihood. The information needed to calculate the owed retroactive pay was provided to the employers in November. “Teachers have a right to receive their pay, including any retroactive salary, in a timely manner,” said Brown. “School divisions should have been prepared to implement the procedures required to provide teachers their owed salary, as per their legislated responsibility from Alberta’s Employment Standards Code.” Now that the 2026 taxation year has started with no resolution reached before the end of 2025, Brown says the new goal of these grievances is twofold: (1) to ensure teacher
retroactive payments are provided as soon as possible and (2) to make every impacted teacher whole by requiring employers to provide some financial award to ensure the increased 2026 tax burden will be mitigated. Remedies sought When it comes to the 61 grievances filed across the province, the ATA is seeking several remedies, including the following: • a formal declaration that the 3,000 teachers must be funded and hired over and above the 2025 fiscal plan • an order compelling TEBA to fulfill the hiring obligations for the current 2025/26 school year • financial damages, to be determined at arbitration “The ATA is taking strong action to hold TEBA and the government accountable for their bargaining commitments,” said Brown.
“TEBA is responsible for ensuring employers are following the language of the imposed settlement, which includes hiring 3,000 teachers,” said Sean Brown,ATA coordinator,Teacher Employment Services. Because the hiring of additional teachers—part of the settlement imposed on teachers by Bill 2, the Back to School Act —is the responsibility of employers to enact, grievances had to be filed in all 61 public, catholic and francophone boards. The dispute centres on a letter of understanding (LOU) concerning teacher recruitment. According to the ATA, negotiations during central bargaining included a commitment to hire 3,000 “net new” full-time equivalent (FTE) teachers over the next three years—1,000 per year starting in 2025/26. While the Association asserts these teaching positions were to be in addition to those funded in the March 2025
Elections Alberta finds ATA advertising complies with election laws
EXECUTIVE REPORT
Elections Alberta seemed to agree with the ATA’s position. “Education funding and class size was a cross-party issue and not associated with one party,” they wrote in their letter to the Association dismissing the complaint. Election Commissioner Paula Hale said she carefully considered the ATA’s statutory purposes (to increase public interest and knowledge in the aims of education and financial support for it) and noted that the messaging in its advertisements was general in nature and not targeted to one specific party. What about donations to political parties? Many teachers have likely heard allegations, particularly in recent months, that the ATA donates money to the NDP. Some erroneous online accusations suggest a number as high as $2 million. This misinformation stems from the same issue. Since 2019, the Association has twice, out of an abundance of caution, registered as a third-party advertiser (TPA) in order to conduct similar advertising.The ATA registered during the 2019 provincial election because a previous election commissioner recommended it. Then, in 2021, the ATA registered, as it wanted to speak more directly to curriculum concerns, an issue which was more closely
associated with the UCP. Because of these registrations and associated disclosures, the myth of an NDP donation keeps popping up. Some groups do in fact use third- party advertising registrations as an opportunity to advertise in support of a particular political party. CUPE- Alberta is a registered TPA and has approved policy to support the NDP. The group Take Back Alberta has advertised extensively in support of the UCP. Registering as a TPA in itself does not mean that your advertising supports a particular candidate or party. Unfortunately, the previous TPA registration of the ATA has been misrepresented as such. The ATA is not and has not been an NDP donor, and claims to the contrary are inaccurate misrepresentations. Ads that speak out The conclusion of the recent investigation into the ATA’s advertising helps provide some clarity going forward. The ATA will always speak out on education issues, including at election time, if needed. It is part of our legislated purpose and our work to advance the interests of teachers. And the Association will continue to abide by the laws around it. It’s comforting to have some confirmation from the law’s enforcers that they would agree.
Jonathan Teghtmeyer ATA Associate Coordinator, Member Engagement and Organizing
If you strap 33 actual chairs to a billboard and ask Albertans to stand for education during a provincial election, does that mean you’re supporting the NDP? This was the focus of a year-long investigation by Elections Alberta into the advertising practices of the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) during the 2023 provincial election. The recently wrapped-up investigation found that the ATA’s advertising was conducted in compliance with election advertising rules. Third-party advertising Eight days into the May 2023 election campaign, the United Conservative Party’s (UCP) executive director Dustin Van Vugt wrote to Elections Alberta asking them to investigate the ATA for appearing to run an “illegal third-party advertising campaign.” The Elections Finance and Contributions Disclosure Act (EFCDA) requires third-party organizations that undertake political or election advertising to register with Elections Alberta and disclose financial details related to the advertising. The law
defines election advertising as advertising that promotes or opposes a party or candidate as well as advertising that “takes a position on an issue with which a registered party or registered candidate is associated.” The ATA has never advertised in support of or opposition to a political party or candidate, but it does advertise on education issues. The UCP took the position that public education is an issue associated with both the UCP and the NDP, noting that it was the topic of announcements and news releases by both parties. The UCP concluded that by taking a position on an issue associated with the parties, ATA materials qualified as election advertising. If accepted, the argument would have effectively prevented the ATA from advertising at all on education issues during elections. In response to the allegation, the ATA maintained that the Teaching Profession Act , which established the Association, mandates it to speak out on education issues and that an issue associated with both parties could not be considered to be associated with any individual party.
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