Deadline looms for Alberta teachers

There's a last-minute wrinkle in the deal between the Alberta government and the province's teachers to ensure labour peace.

With a deadline of midnight Thursday, six of the province's 62 school districts have not yet ratified the complex five-year agreement, which also addresses a massive pension fund shortfall, Alberta Teachers Association (ATA) President Frank Bruseker said Wednesday.

The deal, announced in November by Premier Ed Stelmach, will see the province take over about one-third of the teachers' $2.1-billion pension liability. In exchange, Alberta's 34,000 teachers and their school boards must agree to a five-year contract.

In the deal's first year, salaries would rise by three per cent, the equivalent of what's currently being deducted from paycheques to cover the pension fund shortfall.

The majority of teachers have done their part by ratifying the proposal, Bruseker said.

"In every single jurisdiction, teachers have either negotiated directly with their boards or approved the recommendations made by independent mediators to arrive at five-year collective agreements," Bruseker said Wednesday.

He called on the remaining school districts to submit to binding arbitration.

The schools districts that have not yet approved the deal are Grande Prairie Public, Buffalo Trail Public Schools Regional Division, Lakeland Roman Catholic Separate School Division, Pembina Hill Regional Division, Prairie Land Regional Division and Wetaskiwin Regional Division, the ATA said.

Education Minister Ron Liepert confirmed Wednesday that there are "some hurdles to clear." Liepert said he's still optimistic contracts will be signed by Thursday night, but would not say whether that deadline could be extended.