ATA response to CUPE locals ratifying deals

Today, the ATA issued the following statement in response to members of Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) locals 2545 and 2559 in Fort McMurray ratifying deals.
“Teachers are hopeful that the settlement of the Fort McMurray agreements, along with the tentative deals reached in other jurisdictions, will prompt immediate action by remaining school boards to settle with their striking employees.

The government’s interference in collective bargaining, together with its unwillingness to properly fund public education, led to this strike and delayed its resolution. This was entirely avoidable.

These agreements, achieved through the sacrifice of workers in CUPE locals 2545 and 2559 over the last four months, will finally lift the heavy burden this labour action has placed on support workers, students and teachers, allowing a return to normalcy.”
-ATA president Jason Schilling