Teacher Bargaining & School Impact Updates

The Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association (TEBA) has provided formal notice for a lockout for all Alberta Teachers’ Association employees, currently involved in labour action.  This notice does not impact division support staff. 

The lockout will commence on October 9, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. at all buildings owned or occupied by employers, as defined in the Public Education Collective Bargaining Act, where employees of the bargaining unit work.

TEBA says that it remains committed to negotiating the terms of a collective agreement and expects the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) to continue bargaining in good faith to reach an agreement that is satisfactory to teachers, school boards, and government.

What This Means for Families

• The ATA has already announced a strike beginning on October 6, 2025.
  
  
• The lockout announced by TEBA would begin on October 9, 2025, at 1:00 p.m., if no agreement is reached before then.
  
  
• In either scenario,  classes are still cancelled for the duration of the labour action. Instruction will pause until the dispute is resolved.
  
  
• This does not impact support staff. Support staff will continue to work as directed during this time.
  
  
• We will continue to update families through our Division website and send urgent messages through SchoolMessenger (text/call).

We recognize the challenges this uncertainty creates for families, students, and staff. We are committed to sharing accurate information as soon as it becomes available and supporting our communities through this difficult time.

Palliser School Division- Clinical Team
Counselling & Social-Emotional Support

Dear Palliser Families:

This letter is a follow-up to the Division's previous communication regarding the notice that the ATA will be proceeding with job action Oct 6, 2025. 

Our Team’s Commitment
We recognize that in times of job action, such as a teacher strike, can create uncertainty for families and students. Our priority remains supporting your child’s mental health and wellbeing by continuing to offer access to counselling and social-emotional resources during this period. 

What This Means for Your Child and Family
If your child or family is in need of support while teachers are away from the building, services may continue through in-person and virtual support. A member of the Making Connections Worker (MCW) team or the Family School Liaison Counsellor (FSLC) team will be available to answer questions you may have regarding support during this time. 

Supports Available:

• Family School Liaison Counsellors (FSLCs) and Making Connections Workers (MCWs) will work together to offer ongoing resources, guidance, and support for families throughout this period.
• Family School Liaison Counsellors (FSLCs) will continue to offer in-person or virtual counselling support for students.
• Making Connections Workers (MCWs) may facilitate small-group sessions in person or online to help students build social-emotional skills and maintain connections with peers.
• MCWs will continue to provide individualised assistance and family support services where needed.

Contact Information
If you would like more information about these supports, or if you would like to discuss how they may best meet your child’s needs, please reach out to your school’s Making Connections Worker (MCW) or Family School Liaison Counsellor (FSLC). If you are not able to reach your FSLC and/or MCW, please contact your school. 

If you need immediate counselling support, you can:

NORTH (North of Vulcan)

• Call Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868
• Call Distress Centre Calgary at 403-266-4357
• Chat live online at kidshelpphone.ca/live-chat
• Text the word CONNECT to 686868

SOUTH (South of Vulcan)

• Call Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868
• Distress Line of South Western Alberta (403-327-7905 or 1-888-787-2880)
• Chat live online at kidshelpphone.ca/live-chat
• Text the word CONNECT to 686868

If this is an emergency, please call 911 right away.

Please know that we are here to walk alongside you and your family during this time. Supporting your child(ren)’s well-being and ensuring their needs are met remains our top priority.

Sincerely, 

The Clinical Team
Palliser School Division

Palliser School Division is pleased to hear that the Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association (TEBA) and the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) announced that a Memorandum of Agreement has been reached in central negotiations.

The next step will be for teachers to review and vote on the agreement. If ATA members approve it, TEBA’s membership will then consider it for ratification as well. While the ATA remains in a legal strike position as of October 6, this tentative agreement is a positive step toward avoiding job action.

For now, there are no changes to school operations. All Palliser schools remain open and continue to welcome and serve students. 

We will share updates with families and staff as soon as more information becomes available.

The Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) announced today, at a press conference, that its members will be commencing a strike on October 6, 2025.

This is not an official strike notice. The ATA may legally begin strike action earlier with 72 hours’ notice.

We understand this news may cause uncertainty for families. Please know that the well-being of our students remains our highest priority.

Negotiations

• The ATA and the Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association (TEBA) may still return to the bargaining table in the days ahead.

• We remain hopeful that an agreement can be reached.

• Please note: School boards and school division administration are not part of the bargaining process. Negotiations take place solely between the ATA and TEBA.

What This Means for Schools

• At this time, schools remain open and staff continue to support students in safe and caring environments.

• If a strike does occur:

  • Palliser School Division’s Board of Trustees and Senior Administration will follow direction from Alberta Education and TEBA.

  • Non-striking staff will continue to support students and families to the greatest extent possible.

  • We will balance government direction with the needs of our communities.

As we welcome back staff and students to our schools, we are sharing some updates related to labour relations.  

Current Situation

Negotiations between the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) and the Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association (TEBA), which represents government and school authorities, have been ongoing since the teachers’ collective agreement expired in August 2024.

• Earlier this year, a mediator recommended a settlement, but the proposal was not ratified by teachers.
  
  
• In June, approximately 94.5% of teachers who voted supported possible job action.
  
  
• This gives the ATA up to 120 days from the vote to initiate action unless a settlement is reached.
  
  
• The ATA must provide 72 hours’ notice before commencing any job action.
  
  

Job action could take different forms, including “work to rule” (withdrawal of voluntary services), rotating strikes, or a full strike. Not all job actions would directly disrupt classes, and schools will remain open unless notice specifies otherwise.

What Happens Next

Both the ATA and TEBA remain committed to reaching an agreement, and we are hopeful progress can be made soon.

Recently, TEBA requested that school boards across Alberta grant authority to engage in a lockout if necessary. Lockouts are a legislated part of the bargaining process and a common response to a strike vote. Even if TEBA receives lockout authority through certification by the Alberta Labour Relations Board, there would be no immediate impact on school operations. TEBA has indicated a lockout would only be considered if work stoppages prevented schools from operating safely and effectively.

Division Role in Bargaining

It is important to note that bargaining for items such as teacher salaries takes place centrally at the provincial level between TEBA and the ATA. Local school divisions, including Palliser, are not directly involved until central bargaining concludes.

About the ATA

The ATA represents more than 46,000 certificated members across Alberta, including teachers, substitute teachers, assistant principals, and principals. Locally, the ATA operates through regional bargaining units, but central terms must first be resolved provincially.

Our Commitment

We value the contributions of all employees who support student learning, and we respect the provincial bargaining process. We also understand this uncertainty is challenging for families. Please know our focus remains on welcoming students back to school and ensuring learning continues.

To keep families informed, we will:

• Provide regular updates on our Labour Relations webpage.
  
  
• Share new information directly via email and website when appropriate.
  
  
• Amplify updates on social media.

We are excited for the year ahead with our students, staff and families.  We will keep you informed of any changes that may affect school operations.

The Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) recently voted to strike, and this news may raise many questions and concerns for you about your student’s education. We understand this is a dynamic situation, and our Division leadership is committed to keeping you informed every step of the way.

For the next 120 days, the ATA may legally commence a strike after providing 72 hours notice of the date, time, and initial location of the strike.  The two groups currently negotiating are the ATA and the Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association (TEBA). Palliser School Division’s board and administration are not part of these negotiations. Therefore, we are not able to offer predictions about how the negotiations or potential strike action might unfold.  We also understand that the ATA and TEBA will continue to negotiate and the parties have scheduled to return to mediation on June 19-20 with additional dates at the end of August should they be required. We are hopeful for a resolution. 

Should there be a strike by the ATA, there are various forms of job action. This could include "work to rule" (which means the withdrawal of voluntary services outside of regular duties), rotating strikes, or a full, division-wide strike.

During this time, our administration will be preparing contingency plans for likely scenarios. Our absolute priority will remain supporting the safety and well-being of our students and minimizing disruption to our families' routines.

We also want to acknowledge the incredible dedication of all Palliser School Division staff, and we appreciate their continued professionalism during this uncertain time.

We will provide more detailed information regarding potential impacts on school operations, student learning, and extracurricular activities as soon as a specific strike notice is received or as our contingency plans are solidified. All official updates will be posted on our website at https://www.pallisersd.ab.ca/teacher-bargaining-school-impact-updates

Should we need to take important and immediate action, the Division will share information by e-mail or through our text/call-out system.  

Sincerely,

Palliser School Division Senior Administration