Liepert unites teachers in opposition to government policy
Dennis Theobald
A brief appearance by Education Minister Ron Liepert galvanized the 90th Annual Representative Assembly of the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) into staking out a clear position on education funding and the province’s scheme for dealing with the unfunded liability (UFL) of the teachers’ pension plan.
Meeting in Edmonton on the Victoria Day long weekend, almost 450 accredited delegates drawn from all parts of the province passed a series of resolutions responding to a number of provocative claims and unilateral actions that had been taken by the education minister.
The tone was set early on in the meeting when Trevor Smith, a young delegate from Edmonton Public Teachers Local, rose immediately after Leipert concluded his speech and put forward the following emergent resolution that proposed that the Assembly
reaffirm the unity of teachers in Alberta and reject any attempts by the government to create division among teachers on any basis, including years of service;
celebrate the Association and reaffirm its commitments to serve the public interest as the professional organization representing all teachers and to function as a union protecting the rights and interests of all its members;
call upon the minister of education to respect and acknowledge the contribution of those people who have made teaching their life work and whose expertise and experience continue to benefit students, the profession and public education in Alberta; and
call upon the minister of education to honour the mandate given to him by the premier to engage in negotiations that will lead to a fair, reasonable and lasting solution to the unfunded liability of the teachers’ pension plan and to do so immediately. See Resolution 214A, page 13.
In subsequent debate, Smith said that his intention in putting the emergent resolution forward was "to set the record straight." He pointed out that Liepert had claimed that, in resisting his sliding scale proposal for pension relief, the Association is not representing the interests of young teachers. The minister had also insinuated that more experienced teachers are somehow to blame for the unfunded liability. Smith rejected both these premises as well as the minister’s continuing assertion that the ATA must decide whether it is a union or a profession. "My Association is both a professional organization and a proud union" he retorted. "There is no contradiction between the two roles. I also expect my Association to represent the interests of all teachers and to oppose efforts to divide our profession."
Smith’s call for the minister to immediately commence negotiations was echoed in two subsequent resolutions debated by the Assembly. One called upon the premier "to honour his commitment to teachers to resolve the unfunded liability of the teachers’ pension plan" and another for the government to respect the spirit and intent of the legislative assembly’s call for the government of Alberta "to recognize the unfunded liability in the Teachers’ Pension Plan and immediately initiate negotiations on options for a reasonable long-term solution to the teachers’ unfunded pension liability issue."
Other resolutions urged the government of Alberta to recognize that "growth of the teachers’ pension plan contribution rate since 1992 is substantially attributable to the effects of government cuts and underfunding of public education from 1994 onwards" and committed the Association to rejecting any proposal to resolve the unfunded liability of the teachers’ pension plan that "fails to provide equitable benefits to all teachers."
While these resolutions were hotly debated and various amendments were tested before the house, each was eventually passed unanimously in a striking demonstration of unity and solidarity among the delegates, who represented the full diversity of the teaching profession in Alberta.
On the second day of the Assembly, yet another emergent resolution was proposed in response to the minister’s announcement that the government intended to proceed with a task force to study the UFL issue despite the Association’s concerns about its stacked agenda and potential to delay direct negotiations until November 2007. After spirited debate, teachers decided by an overwhelming majority that the ATA should "decline participation in the proposed government of Alberta task force on the unfunded liability of the teachers’ pension plan."
In addition to responding to the UFL issue, the Assembly expressed grave concern over the government’s decision to provide a three per cent increase in education grants when the cost of living in Alberta has increased by almost twice that amount. In response to this calculated underfunding, school boards have begun to plan cuts in staffing and programming for the 2007/08 school year. The minister of education, however, continues to claim that the school boards are flush with cash and vows that, unlike in previous years, they cannot expect to receive additional funding before the next budget is handed down. Recognizing the importance of mobilizing the public to support adequate funding of public education, the Assembly authorized Provincial Executive Council to draw up to $1.1 million from the Special Emergency Fund to finance a public awareness campaign focusing on the issue.
In an additional demonstration of its determination, teachers voted to reject a reduction in Association fees that had been proposed in the ATA’s 2007/08 budget. Instead, the rates will remain as is, and the resulting substantial surplus will be allocated to the Special Emergency Fund.
Also In the News