With deal ratified, local educators look ahead
Medicine Hat and district school boards and Alberta Teachers’ Association chapters now turn their attention to local issues after the Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association ratified Wednesday the central table agreement on wages, benefits and a $75-million Classroom Improvement Fund.
“It was kind of unknown how this (central bargaining) would go,” said SD76 board chair Rick Massini. “First time out, I am pleased we’ve got at least the central portion of the agreement settled.”
“It’s a reasonable agreement considering the times,” PRSD board chair Stuart Angle said. “With bargaining we get what we get, and then move on from there.”
MHCBE board chair Dick Mastel says there seems to be a recognition on both sides of the economic realities facing the district, but he does not anticipate much in the way of local bargaining taking place this summer
“There isn’t really any way of predicting how it will go,” Mastel said. “But I do not expect a great deal is going to happen until the fall.”
While teachers did not get everything they wanted this time out, says Natalie Oliphant, president of ATA Local No. 1, the CIF fund is certainly appreciated.
“Teachers are curious to see what will happen with the classroom improvement fund,” she says. “That is something brand new, and we have meeting coming up with our committee where they will be discussing the fund ... We are not dissatisfied (with the agreement), but it is difficult not having a wage increase in our previous threeyear contract when the economy was doing better. To take that again is difficult.”
Local ATA Catholic Teachers president Bernie Kinch says since teachers have now been without a wage increase for the past five years, it is important to ensure CIF funding is spent in the classroom.
“In a time when there is absolutely no money for salary increases, we were able to make some gains (with the CIF), which shouldn’t really cost school boards very much, to improve working conditions and working lives of teachers. It’s better than nothing, and it will allow for some improvements.”
SD76 board chair Rick Massini expects there will be much to discuss when local bargaining commences.
“We’ll be dealing with more working-relations kind of things,” said Massini. “These things are really important to our teachers, and important to our board as well.”
“We’ll have to look at the initial offers back and forth between the two parties before we’ll know what the issues are,” Angle said. “We can work on our terms and they can work on their terms, and we’ll serve notice somewhere prior to July 23 and then take it up again this fall.”
Oliphant feels the two sides, in her board’s case, are not too far apart.
“Historically, we have always had a good relationship with our board, and it continues to be that way ... I think those negotiations will be very positive,” she said.
Kinch is not so positively assertive.
“With CIF, we need to make sure that is being implemented to our district’s advantage. That should include the hiring of additional teachers and teaching staff, the cost of new or augmented professional development, or it could even be some materials or equipment for classrooms ... That committee is formed of equal numbers of central office staff and board members, and of teachers. The two sides have to come to some sort of consensus.”
The News also attempted to contact PRSD ATA Local No. 2 president Stuart Shigehiro, but received no reply prior to press time.