The President's Message

Local Presidents Urge Action on Unfunded Liability

It is time to initiate discussions with the provincial government regarding the unfunded liability of the Alberta Teachers Retirement Fund said the overwhelming majority of Presidents of ATA Locals who gathered at their semi-annual meeting February 4th and 5th in Edmonton.

Responding to a number of resolutions from Locals, including Calgary Public Teachers, Provincial Executive Council presented Local Presidents with five different approaches to resolving the unfunded liability issue. Local leaders responded by endorsing a plan that would see the provincial ATA approach the government with a view to negotiating a framework agreement for the province.

It was easy for me to stand and support this initiative since our Council of School Representatives had passed a motion at its December meeting calling precisely for this kind of action. Moreover, along with a number of other Local presidents, I had actively lobbied for such action.

A framework agreement was tried successfully in Ontario last year. Such an agreement, while not an actual collective agreement, could see the government guarantee funding to school boards for salary and benefits increases, class size, the unfunded liability and other issues for a lengthy period of time, say four years. With funding for these collective agreement essentials guaranteed, school boards and ATA locals would then be free to negotiate collective agreements without the threat of labour disruption. Major sticking points would already have guaranteed funding yet local boards and teachers would still be free to negotiate collective agreement items of local interest and importance.

Timing was also a critical element of the message from Local presidents to Provincial Executive Council. While no one wants to see the Association give away the farm to achieve a resolution to this issue, presidents were at pains to tell our provincial council members that teachers are tired of waiting, and want to see some purposeful action soon. We realize that any set of negotiations can fail. But to wait for the government to act unilaterally is not an option we are willing to settle for.

Not all Provincial Executive Council members were supportive of the views expressed by Local presidents, particularly around the issue of timing. Several PEC members urged “caution,” expressing the concern that teachers were making decisions and urging action based on “emotion and passion” and weren't thinking the issue through.

Local presidents were not convinced. At the end of the meeting we confirmed President Bruseker's summation that we want provincial ATA to approach the government with an offer to sit down and negotiate a province wide framework agreement that would see the unfunded liability issue successfully resolved.