The Teacher Contract: Why I Spoiled My Ballot

Teachers don't have short memories.  Many people think teachers have forgotten that they voted the PCs in.  In actual fact, teachers did not vote PCs in, Albertans did.  Many people think teachers will forget these most recent contract negotiations come 2016.  In actual fact, it will be the only thing we remember.

Last week my local voted on the proposed framework shoved in our faces by Premier Alison Redford.  To make sure I met the expectation that we not share the results until today, I haven't posted this until today.  Regardless, it was obvious that our local did not buck the trend.

If you read carefully over this Proposed ... pardon me ... Imposed Framework Agreement, it stated that the ATA and the School Boards should work hard to "ratify" the agreement.  This leaves us open to significant interpretation.  One could argue that to ratify an agreement, all you have to do is recognize it as a legitimate document worthy of consideration.  Simply by voting to accept or not to accept it would in effect be a ratification.  I asked about this when our local voted, and the ATA representative there said I was not out-to-lunch.  My question: "so simply by voting on this, we are ratifying it?"  The response: "um, yes."

So the only way to tell Redford, Johnson, and the PCs to shove it was to not vote on it all.

I spoiled my ballot.  I refused to vote on an "agreement" that so blatantly removed democracy as an option.  As is the norm in Canada these days, the guise of democracy covered up an imposition.  This was no "agreement", never has been, and now that we are entering a period of legislated teacher contracts, I would not be surprised if it never will be again.


Tell me it ain't so, that somehow the PCs figured out a way of making me think my democratic duty was best served by not voting!

So now Johnson has introduced legislation telling Boards, the ATA, and Alberta voters to shove it in return.  There was never any intention on Johnson's part to "bargain" or "propose" anything.  Working with teachers is not an interest of his.  Johnson's suggestion that "legislation is the only way" shows an apparent lack of respect for the decades of successful local bargaining this province is used to.  It also shows anything but forward thinking.  It shows dictatorship, a complete reversal from the democracy we claim to espouse.

But don't you worry, teachers don't have short memories.  Teachers will always remember who truly runs the Education system.  It isn't Alison Redford, and it certainly isn't Jeff Johnson.

The problem is, until the PCs realize this, it isn't teachers, either.