You want a strong pubic education system, right? You want every child in Alberta to have the best educational opportunities possible? Public education matters. No question.

In that case, if you want to defend public education, support a striking teacher.

In January, it appears thousands teachers will be going out on strike in many municipalities across Alberta. For those of us with children in the school system, it could be quite inconveniencing. We’ll have to find alternative arrangements for our kids while we are at work. We may even need to forego a few days pay if no acceptable arrangement can be found.

It won’t be easy. It won’t be fun.

But we need to do it. Because the teachers’ fight is our fight.

The teachers are not going on strike simply for more money. Although after a decade of Tory-style education leadership, they sorely deserve a decent raise. They took the five percent rollback in 1994 and have struggled with larger class sizes and shrinking resources ever since. But this is about more than money.

This will be a strike about educational priorities. The teachers know the target in this strike is not the school boards, who are struggling as much as the teachers themselves. The teachers know the buck stops with the provincial government. And that is what this strike is about.

The province continues to deny the negative impact of larger class sizes. They continue to shortchange schools for teachers’ aides, special education specialists and other resources. They continue to follow policies that force parents to work casinos to raise money for textbooks.

And, to add the final insult, the Tories attempted to impose a 7% wage increase over two years, completely undermining the collective bargaining process.

Let us be clear. This is not a strike about wage increases. This is a strike about quality public education for our kids.

And that is why unionists across Alberta need to stand up beside the teachers when they set up their picket lines next month. They need our support. And they deserve our support.

Remember, teachers are workers. They are important workers – after all they are responsible for educating our children – who deserve to be respected. And that reason and that reason alone should be enough to guarantee our unswerving support.

The Alberta Federation of Labour pledges our support for the teachers. We will be there beside them. And we are asking all unionists to do the same.

So sure, it will be a bit hard on all of us with children. Inconveniencing, without a doubt.

But after all what is a little inconvenience when we are fighting to defend public education.

Teachers of Alberta, Solidarity!!