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Dear Colleagues:
A document outlining the details of the tentative agreement for a new 2022-26 provincial contract, including changes to salary grids, is now available for review by all members. After a lot of hard work, we commend the efforts of your negotiating team and thank them for their focus and dedication during an intense round of bargaining. Throughout the process, the team remained committed to reaching the best possible contract for the NLTA membership as a whole. It is important to note that this tentative agreement was achieved without any significant concessions for NLTA members.
Provincial Executive is recommending this tentative agreement for acceptance.
Below you will see a summary, highlighting the most significant gains and changes for members to be aware of.
Compensation
This is a four-year contract from September 1, 2022 to August 31, 2026 which includes a 2% salary increase each year, applied as well to the allowances for bonussed positions. However, we also negotiated grid adjustments – effective January 15, 2024 or the date of signing (whichever is earlier), the first step on the salary scale will be dropped and a new step added, resulting in overall salary increases ranging from 10.9% to 14.2% (depending on where you currently are on grid) over the term of this agreement. The overall increases are highest for newest teachers, with less experience, to support recruitment. As well, the negotiated salary increases make Certificate VII teachers at the top of the scale the highest paid in Atlantic Canada under current contract provisions.
Effective the date of signing, members will receive a one-time recognition bonus payment of $2,000, prorated based on time worked during the 2022-23 school year.
The maximum period of employer contributions to group insurance premiums for teachers accessing parenting leaves will be increased to 58.5 weeks (current maximum is 39 weeks).
Retention & Recruitment
To help address teacher retention and recruitment in areas that experience the greatest challenges, Isolation Allowance provisions have been improved. For eligible teachers on the island portion of the province, the annual isolation bonus will increase by 11.4% to $2500 effective September 1, 2024, and will rise by a further 2% effective September 1, 2025. As well, effective for the 2024-25 school year, all teachers in Labrador will, for the first time, receive an isolation bonus ($2000 and a 2% increase for 2025-26)) in addition to allowances provided under the Labrador Benefits Agreement.
A joint NLTA/Department of Education/school district committee will be established to investigate and report on issues related to recruitment and retention of teachers, including substitute teachers..
Substitute Teachers
Effective the date of signing, substitute teachers will no longer have to work for at least 50 days in a school year before being able to take sick leave – they will be able to access accrued sick leave once they have commenced work during a contract period.
Workload/Class Size & Composition
Teachers will have access to one additional non-contact day during the school year for report card preparation (increase from 1 to 2 days).
Subject to Schedule D (“conditions as they currently exist”), language has been negotiated to set specific limits around the scheduling and duration of meetings that occur outside of the school day.
There will be joint NLTA/Department of Education/school district committees established – one to advise on implementation of recommendations from the report of the Teacher Allocation Review Committee, which include class size and composition parameters; and, another to review the Responsive Teaching and Learning Model, a policy the Association has consistently maintained is unsustainable due to under-resourcing.
Hiring
Changes to Article 6 and a new Memorandum of Understanding on hiring are intended to make the staffing process more efficient. Seniority transfers are still in place, but with limits on timing and on the number of transfer offers any one permanent teacher may accept and/or reject, subject to betterment (increase in portion of a full-time position held). These changes are also intended to open up more and earlier opportunities for replacement/substitute teachers seeking permanent positions. The MOU is specifically stated to be in effect only for the term of a new agreement (no automatic roll-over), and the NLTA will be closely monitoring the overall effectiveness of these new provisions.
Teacher Well-Being
Funding has been secured from government for a third Employee Assistance Program coordinator position in order to improve access to supports for NLTA members.
A new letter ensures that, should government officially confirm Truth and Reconciliation Day as a provincial statutory holiday, the number of paid holidays for teachers will automatically increase by one day.
Teachers interested in funding a year off through the Deferred Salary Leave Program (DSLP) will now have access to an additional option to spread contributions over a maximum of 5 years (current maximum is 4), or a “ five over six plan”, which will make access to the DSLP more financially viable.
Sick Leave
While we were not able to achieve general increases to sick leave accrual in this round of bargaining, requirements for medical certificates will be relaxed for teachers with ongoing medical conditions – one doctor’s note to confirm the ongoing medical condition will suffice per school year as documentation for subsequent absences related to that condition.
The tentative agreement contains an express acknowledgement that the employer is exploring ways to provide teachers with direct access to their own leave accrual information – while NLTA advocacy on this matter will continue, this provision ensures the employer has a positive obligation to looking for a solution.
I encourage all NLTA members to be informed – review the tentative agreement to see all of the changes, attend one of the scheduled in-person or virtual presentations, and/or view the recorded presentation (once it is available online). All of the information, including the tentative agreement document, presentation schedule, highlights document and the recorded presentation (coming soon) can be accessed HERE.
Voting will take place electronically starting at 8:30 AM on December 5 until 4:00 PM on December 7 (island time). Please make sure you take the time to vote and encourage your colleagues to do the same.
In solidarity,
Trent Langdon, President
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