An independent arbitrator has ruled Alberta teachers will get a 5.99 per cent wage increase for the 2009-2010 school year, retroactive to September.
Last year, a change to the Alberta average weekly earnings index by Statistics Canada — which teachers pay increases are tied to — meant that under the new determination the teachers’ wage increase would be 5.99 per cent.
The provincial government wanted to use the old determination that would see teachers get a 4.82 per cent raise. This determination is always a year behind, so it reflects the economy from the year previously.
Education Minister Dave Hancock said Wednesday he currently doesn’t have the money in his budget to fund the increase.
The soonest he can ask the treasury board for more money will be in two months, once the current budget has been passed.
Both Red Deer school districts have the money in reserve funds to cover the extra cost, but are hoping the province will eventually cover it.
If the province doesn’t pay for the additional increase, Red Deer Catholic Regional School Division will have to take $370,000 from its $5.4 million in reserve funds to cover the additional cost and Red Deer Public School District will use $500,000 from its $2 million in reserves to pay for the increase. Both boards already have to dip into their reserve funds after the province clawed back the public district’s budget close to $900,000 and the Catholic division’s budget by more than $500,000 in August.
More than 70 per cent of the Red Deer Public School District’s $97 million budget and the Red Deer Catholic Regional School Division’s $65 million budget goes to wages.
The Catholic division has the reserves to cover the increase and so there will be no layoffs or impact to students. Christine Moore, board chair of the Catholic division, said they were prepared for the increase. “We were prepared and thank goodness we have our reserves. We’ve been fiscally responsible so we can weather this,” Moore said.
Bill Stuebing, board chair of the Red Deer Public School District, said there will be no implications for the public district’s operation of schools. He said the district fully anticipates the provincial government will stand by its commitments and it will provide the funding to the boards to cover this.
“All along we have been provided with the methodology for increasing teachers’ salaries and we have been provided with the assurance that the (provincial) government would fully fund those increases and I have seen nothing that says they won’t do that. I fully expect them to live by their commitment and they will fund it,” Stuebing said.
Kelly Aleman, president of ATA Red Deer Public Local No. 60, said the arbitration process was a fair one, with both sides presenting their case and an independent person judging on what was deemed to be in the contract.
“We’re pleased with the decision, but to remind people this was not a bargaining situation. We’re in the middle of a contract and this was an arbitrator’s decision in looking at that contract as to what was there,” Aleman said. “I think teachers hope that the public understands that we were simply trying to hold the government to their end of the contract that they signed with us.”
Leo Richer, the president of ATA Red Deer Catholic Local No. 80, said he thinks the ruling was very fair because it is the agreement teachers signed in 2007/2008 school year. “It’s just the formula we agreed to,” Richer said. “It’s a new relationship with the government. It’s much more co-operative and productive with Minister Hancock.”
sobrien@www.reddeeradvocate.com