Teachers of a first local union member of the Autonomous Federation of Education (FAE) approved the agreement in principle reached with Quebec by 58% on Wednesday evening during a virtual general meeting.
The participation rate for this vote was 42%, while 1,858 of the 4,400 teachers from the Pointe-de-l'Île teachers' union attended the meeting.
The teachers of this local union in Montreal therefore sided with the executive branch of the Autonomous Federation of Education, which is recommending ratification of the agreement, rather than with their local union delegates, who tended to reject the agreement last week.
It remains to be seen to what extent teachers who are members of other local unions will follow suit. Representatives from the Montreal and Laval school service centers will speak at a general meeting on Thursday evening.
In principle, to be ratified by the FAE, an agreement must be approved by a majority of the nine member unions and the majority of the members it represents.
In the education sector, where the collateral damage of the 22-day FAE strike will be felt for a long time, many are holding their breath.
However, we will have to wait a few more days to hear the final verdict, as the last FAE teacher members to speak at a general assembly will do so on January 25th.
The Common Front teachers also vote for it
On the side of the Common Front, which represents 60% of teachers in the province, a first local union also commented on the proposed agreement with Quebec on Wednesday evening.
Members of the Chaudière Education Union in Beauce approved by 86% the industry agreement presented by the Federation of Education Unions (FSE-CSQ), which mainly relates to working conditions. The intersectoral agreement, which covers currency clauses across the Common Front, was approved by 92% of members. The participation rate was 66%.
Teacher torn
At the FAE, however, the narrow majority of Pointe-de-l'Île teachers in favor of the agreement shows how divided teachers are on the issue.
Regarding salary, the agreement generally provides for salary increases of up to 24% over five years (see details below).
But above all, the “class composition” provisions at the heart of the union’s demands disappoint teachers, according to several comments collected by Le Journal in recent days.
The FAE agreement specifically provides $33.3 million in “preventive” measures for more difficult groups of students in primary and secondary schools, an amount seen by many as ridiculous given the scale of the need.
Despite tonight's ruling, it will remain difficult to decide the future of this agreement, as deliberations can vary significantly from general assembly to general assembly, warns Thomas Collombat, political scientist at the University of Quebec in Outaouais and a specialist in the trade union movement.
“We must not neglect this dynamic,” he says.
What to expect if rejected?
If the agreement is ever rejected by a majority of members, the FAE would have to “start from scratch” and consult its teachers again on a new strategy and possible pressure tactics to return to the negotiating table.
Resorting to strike could be ruled out by teachers this time after experiencing four weeks without pay and strike benefits, points out Mr Collombat.
However, it is difficult to say whether any advantages for teachers will be achieved in a second round of negotiations without such strong pressure tactics as the first time, he adds.
Salary increases planned for teachers
Due in 2026-2027
· Tier 1: $56,013 (+18.9%)
· Tier 6: $73,394 (+24.5%)
· Tier 11: $87,540 (+21.1%)
· Tier 16: $109,121 (+17.4%)
*The highest increases are in the middle salary range. In recent negotiations, both new and most experienced teachers were given the largest pay increases. The two unions (FSE-CSQ and FAE) receive the same salary scale.
Source: FSE-CSQ and FAE