The Alberta Teachers’ Association

List bargaining has begun and has been productive so far.

That’s the message contained in a new Bargainers’ Blog post by Peter Mackay, chair of the ATA’s Central Table Bargaining Committee (CTBC).

In the post, dated Nov. 4, Mackay explains that members of CTBC and representatives of the Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association (TEBA) have officially met for two days following an agreed-upon delay prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the province’s two-tier bargaining process, negotiations begin with discussions about which matters are to be negotiated at the central table and which issues will be discussed during local bargaining.

“Both parties are focused on finding matters where agreement can be found while remaining mindful of and faithful to their bargaining mandates,” the post states.

Some matters have been agreed to, many more remain to be discussed and further dates have been scheduled in early December.

“While list bargaining continues, we also continue to prepare for central table matters bargaining,” Mackay writes. “Thank you to everyone who participated in our relaunched bargaining survey this fall. The information is very important in guiding our work.”

Teachers can expect to receive more updates as negotiations progress. ❚

To read Mackay’s more detailed explanation of the situation, and stay abreast of further developments, active ATA members can access Bargainers’ Blog by visiting www.teachers.ab.ca and clicking on My ATA > Members Only.