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ATA Teacher Welfare
Can you explain the new bargaining process?
The Public Education Collective Bargaining Act, enacted December 2015, established bi-level bargaining for teachers - a new process by which some matters are negotiated at a central table and others at local tables.
Under this system, the Alberta Teachers'Association established the Central Table Bargaining Committee to negotiate on teachers' behalf, with the employer side represented by the Teacher Employer Bargaining Association (TEBA), which includes members from government and school boards.
In May 2016, the two sides finalized two lists outlining which matters would be bargained centrally and which were eligible for local negotiations. Since then, negotiations have focused on the central list, and this memorandum is an agreement on those items only.
If and when this agreement is ratified by both sides, it will form the basis for the 61 collective agreements between the ATA and school boards, and local bargaining can then begin.
What role do I have in this process?
First, find out what is contained in the memorandum of agreement. Attend a Member Information Meeting (MIM), read the material and discuss the document. Every teacher will be able to vote on whether to accept or reject the agreement.
What is a MIM and why are we being invited to one?
Member Information Meetings (MIMs) are called when information is relevant to all members, not just those in a specific bargaining unit. We are inviting all members to attend their nearest or most convenient MIM to ensure that all members get the correct information in order to make an informed decision regarding the proposed memorandum of agreement.
Why are we having MIMs instead of Bargain Unit General...