Labour Action Updates

Current Situation (August 19th, 2025)

Planning for the 2025-2026 School Year

In June, the Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) reported that 94.5% of its members voted in favour of strike action. For now, Sturgeon Public Schools is continuing its planning for the first day of school on August 28, 2025. We recognize that uncertainty around potential labour action may be challenging for families. Any new information about potential labour action will be shared with families and posted to this page as soon as it is available.

Sturgeon Public School Division is not involved at this stage of negotiations. Teacher salaries are set through provincial collective agreements, not individual school boards.
The Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association (TEBA) has applied for a lockout vote. This step was taken in response to the Alberta Teachers’ Association’s strike vote earlier this year.
Lockout authority ensures that TEBA and school boards have the ability to respond to strike action that can make it challenging for school boards to protect students and families.
TEBA represents all public, separate, and Francophone school boards in this process, including Sturgeon Public School Division.
This action does not have an immediate effect on school operations.

Positions Impacted

Teachers
Substitute Teachers
Principals and Vice Principals
Central Office Staff who are ATA Members:
- Division Principal
- Director of Learning Services
- Director of Education
- Coordinator, Curriculum
- Coordinator, Indigenous Education

What happens next?

For now, it is business as usual at all Sturgeon Public schools.
If the ATA decides to commence labour action that would have an impact on the school day, the union must provide school boards with 72 hours' notice.
The ATA has 120 days to commence labour action, unless a resolution is reached between the provincial government's Teachers' Employer Bargaining Association (TEBA) and the ATA.
If the ATA moves forward with job action, there could be several paths, including a work-to-rule strike, rotating strikes or a full strike.
Parents/Guardians should start planning now for childcare in the event of strike action.
We value the contributions of all employees who support student success and we respect the provincial bargaining process.

Timeline

August 29, 2025 (late afternoon)
- Lockout poll results will be filed with the Alberta Labour Relations Board (ALRB) by TEBA.
August 26-29, 2025
- Formal mediation between TEBA and the ATA is continuing.
August 5, 2025
- Application for lockout poll filed by TEBA. Lockout authority ensures that TEBA and school boards have the ability to respond to strike action that can make it challenging for school boards to protect students and families.
Summer 2025
- TEBA and ATA have additional meetings scheduled, as needed.
June 10, 2025
- ATA reported that 94.5% of members voted in favour of strike action. The ATA has 120 days from the date of the vote to commence labour action, unless a resolution is reached between TEBA and the ATA.
June 5-8, 2025
- ATA holds a strike vote.
May 28, 2025
- ATA announces the results of the Strike Authorization Vote. ATA reported that 99.45% of those participating in the vote voted in favour of authorizing the ATA to apply for an official strike vote.
May 22-26, 2025
- A strike authorization vote was held by the ATA.
May 2-5, 2025
- ATA members voted on the mediator’s recommendation. The ATA voted against the mediator’s recommendation. A 14-day cooling-off period begins.
March 28, 2025
- Mediator’s Recommendations for Terms of Settlement issued.
January-March 2025
- TEBA and ATA began mediation on January 15, 2024. TEBA and ATA continued with mediation on January 16, 17 and January 29, 30 and again on March 19, 20, 2025.
November 14, 2024
- Mediator appointed.
May 16, 2024
- Central negotiations commenced. (Teachers' Employer Bargaining Association (TEBA)) with ATA.