Labour Relations

• October 3, 2025 - The Alberta Teachers’ Association will begin strike action on Monday, October 6, 2025. All classes and extracurricular activities are cancelled. Students will not attend in-person or online. Support staff will continue to work.

• September 30, 2025 - The Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) announced that its members rejected a tentative agreement with the Government of Alberta. This means that teachers are in a position to initiate job action on Monday, October 6, 2025. Classes will continue as usual until Friday, October 3, 2025.

• September 24, 2025 - The Government of Alberta Teachers' Employer Bargaining Association (TEBA) announced that a Memorandum of Agreement has been reached with the Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA). ATA membership will vote on accepting or rejecting the negotiated contract and will announce the results no later than October 1, 2025.
• September 11, 2025 - The Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) has announced that they are prepared to strike on October 6, 2025 if a negotiated settlement with the province is not reached through bargaining. Classes and extracurricular activities continue as normal.
• August 29, 2025 - Negotiations between the Government of Alberta Teachers' Employer Bargaining Association (TEBA) and the Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) have ended without reaching a negotiated settlement. The ATA continues to be in a position to conduct job action with 72 hours notice but families should plan for students to be in school next week.
• June 12, 2025 - The Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) members voted 94.5% in favor of potential job action in an official strike vote. The strike mandate will be valid for 120 days and ATA must provide 72 hours of notice before taking job action. Job action could include work to rule (which means withdrawal of voluntary services outside of regular duties), rotating strikes, or a full strike.
• June 6, 2025 - The Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) held a strike authorization vote on May 30, 2025. The ATA has now filed for such a supervised strike vote, which is scheduled to take place between June 5 and 8. If a vote to strike is successful, the strike mandate will be valid for 120 days. There is currently no notice of strike action.

When can a union go on strike? 
There are several requirements for unions to hold a legal strike. These include: 

• Any collective agreement between the union and the employer must be expired. 
• The parties must enter into collective bargaining. 
• The parties must work with a government- appointed mediator. 
• A 14-day cooling-off period must elapse following mediation. 
• A Labour Board-supervised strike vote (unions) or lockout poll (employers) must be taken, and a majority of those voting must agree to the strike or lockout. 
• One party must serve the other (as well as the mediator) with 72 hours of notice before the strike or lockout commences. (Source: Alberta Labour Relations Board)

How does ATA negotiating work?
Bargaining between Teachers' Employer Bargaining Association​ (TEBA) and the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) occurs centrally at the provincial level. This means that items like teacher salaries are set through the provincial collective agreement, not through individual school boards. Local bargaining between the Livingstone Range School Division and ATA Local #14 can only commence once this process has been completed. 

Will Joint Use Agreements continue in our buildings if there is a strike?  
Yes. Our custodial staff will continue to work and maintain our buildings for joint use agreement bookings.

What does “job action” mean?
Job action may include work to rule, rotating strikes or a full strike. Each scenario is outlined below.

Please note, the information provided below is general and intended to offer a high-level overview. Specific details will be determined and communicated by the ATA if job action proceeds. We will share updated, specific information when it becomes available.

What is work to rule and how could it impact our Division and schools?
Generally speaking, work to rule involves staff withdrawing from voluntary services outside of their core professional responsibilities. For example, teachers could decide not to be involved with extracurricular activities. Typically, in these situations, schools would remain open, and instruction would continue, though some non-instructional activities may be paused.

What are rotating strikes and how could they impact our Division and schools?
Rotating strikes may involve teachers choosing not to work at specific schools or in certain regions, on a rotating basis. If used, the specifics of rotating strikes would be determined by the ATA.

If teachers withdraw services at any of our schools, those schools would be closed for the day and both classes and extracurricular activities would be cancelled.

What would a full strike mean for our Division and schools?
If job action resulted in a full withdrawal of teaching services across the Division or Alberta:

• All classes would be cancelled
• Students would not attend in person or online
• There would be no instruction, supervision or extracurricular activities

Will schools be open during a teacher strike?
Schools remain physically open, but regular classes and extracurricular activities are cancelled. 

Can substitute teachers or principals teach during the strike?
No. Substitute teachers and school administrators are members of the ATA and are also on strike. 

Will students receive any learning materials or resources during the strike?
The Government of Alberta has provided a website parents can use during a strike:  PARENT TOOLKIT.

Teachers will not provide learning resources or materials during a strike. In addition, access to resources such as LRSD’s Google Classrooms will be limited.

How long can a strike last?
There is no set time limit. A strike can continue until a new collective agreement is reached or both parties agree to binding arbitration. The length depends on negotiations between the Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association (TEBA) and the ATA.

Will extracurricular activities like athletics and drama be affected?
Yes. All extracurricular activities  are paused during a strike.

How will I know what is happening with the strike or if it has been resolved?
Families will be notified by the school division through emails and the Division website. Visit www.lrsd.ca/labourrelations for the latest news.

Will my child’s education be negatively impacted?
A short-term strike may cause temporary disruptions, but schools and teachers typically adjust plans once classes resume. If a strike is prolonged, school boards may explore ways to support student learning and meet curriculum outcomes.

Can high school students continue their off campus programming or dual credit courses?
Yes. Off campus work experience can continue as planned. Dual credit in-person activities will be paused during the strike but students will have access to online courses and may choose to proceed in self-directed learning. Visit www.lrsd.ca/offcampus and www.lrsd.ca/dualcredit for more information.

Will Before/After School care continue to be available?
Yes, before/after school and daycare will continue.

What will International Student Education look like during a strike?
The international program will adapt to ensure that students visiting LRSD will receive experiences they have paid and signed up for. International student field trips which are normally spread throughout the school year will be scheduled to line up with strike days to provide that experience to students during this time. 

Will the school year be extended due to a strike?
In the past when there has been labour disruption, schools have adjusted their schedules to make sure they have met instructional hours without having to go into summer. We won’t know if time will need to be made up until we know how long the strike lasts. Please know we are committed to ensuring students get the instruction they need even if there is a strike.

Will we be refunded for athletic and hot lunch fees?
Schools will be able to refund hot lunch fees if a scheduled hot lunch will now be missed because of the strike. When classes and extracurricular activities resume, schools will consider refund or proration for athletic fees.

Will I still receive pay and benefits during a strike?
Striking ATA members will not be paid during a strike, but benefits coverage will continue to be in place. 

How does a strike affect my pension?
Your pension plan continues and you will not lose any entitlement earned up to the day of strike action. However, neither the employer nor employee will pay into the pension plan during the length of the job action. Staff will not receive pensionable service for the length of the strike. 

Can I be disciplined or fired for striking?
No. Participating in a legal strike is protected under the Alberta Labour Relations Code. Employers cannot discipline, fire, or retaliate against staff for participating in legal strike action.

What if I have a scheduled medical leave or maternity leave during the strike?
If you are already on an approved leave (e.g., maternity, medical, or disability), your leave continues uninterrupted. You are not expected to picket or participate in strike duties. Notify your Local if your status changes during the strike.

Can the ATA impose a fine or punish its members?
We cannot speak on behalf of the union. Please bring this inquiry to the Labour Board or your local. We expect that ATA’s constitution allows for fines. If you are not an ATA member, you are in no way bound by their constitution and no action of any kind purporting to fine you can be taken. ATA cannot collect fines through the employer. This means that they can “fine” you, but they cannot collect that fine.

Can I provide take-home learning packets for my students to work on during the strike?
The ATA has directed teachers to not provide take-home work or resources for students.

Can I keep my Google Resources available to students during the strike?
To comply with the ATA’s direction to not provide instruction or learning resources during the strike, LRSD teachers should temporarily “Archive” their Google Classrooms. 

Do I still report to work if teachers are on strike?
Yes. If your union is not on strike, you are still required to report to work as scheduled. You are not part of the ATA bargaining unit and are governed by your own collective agreement.

What will support staff in schools do if teachers are on strike?
Support staff will have opportunities to choose from professional learning opportunities and to complete regularly assigned tasks.

Will I be asked to do teacher duties during the strike?
No. You cannot be required to perform duties outside your job description, such as teaching or supervising classrooms without proper certification. If you are asked to do so, contact your union representative, if applicable.

Will I still be paid during a strike?
Yes, as long as you are working your regular hours and duties, your pay will continue. If your work is disrupted (e.g., classes are cancelled), LRSD will provide guidance on alternate duties or arrangements. In a situation where the provincial government suspends funding for support staff, you may be laid off.

Can I take an unpaid leave of absence?
Yes. If you choose to take a voluntary unpaid leave of absence during the ATA strike, please contact Richard Feller.

Can I show support for striking teachers?
Yes, but only outside of work hours and not in a way that disrupts your duties.