Teachers working in St. Paul, Alta. have voted in favour of authorizing the Alberta Teachers' Association to request a strike vote.

According to a news release from the ATA the teachers employed by St. Paul Education Regional Division No. 1 voted 90 per cent in favour of the request at a meeting Tuesday.



The teachers rejected an offer from the school board and are seeking improvements to family illness, bereavement and personal leave clauses.

"St. Paul teachers are looking for a fair and reasonable settlement; one that follows the pattern well-established by the 50 other boards already settled," Connie Landsiedel, president of Greater St. Paul Local No.25, said in a statement. "Our teachers want to be treated like their colleagues in neighbouring jurisdictions."

Teachers in the division have been working for more than 30 months without a finalized collective agreement.

Following Tuesday's vote, there is now a two-week period before the ATA can apply for a strike vote. The school board is also prevented from taking lockout action for two weeks.

St. Paul is about 200 kilometres northeast of Edmonton.