Parkland School Division teachers met in Spruce Grove last night to review the status of negotiations for a new collective agreement.

Speaking after the meeting, the president of the 550-member local of the Alberta Teachers’ Association, Robert Twerdoclib, said that his members fully support the stance and actions taken by the teachers’ negotiating team. He said that the meeting was calm and professional and that there was no movement toward setting a strike date.

Twerdoclib referenced a complaint that trustees have lodged with the Labour Relations Board (LRB) concerning an allegation that teachers have bargained in bad faith. “We intend to fully present our case to the LRB and refute each and every item listed in the trustees’ document,” Twerdoclib said. “Meanwhile, we are proud of our actions and we stand by our statements.”

Twerdoclib said that the complaint to the LRB by trustees is symptomatic of their approach to bargaining. “First we worked with a mediator, brought in on the request of trustees. Then, trustees rejected the mediator’s recommendation for settlement. At our last bargaining meeting, as close as I believe our negotiators were to an agreement, we couldn’t get the trustees’ approval. Now we face yet another attempt to delay a settlement.”

“Throughout the negotiation process, our bargaining team has taken every step to