Tick. Tick. Tick. That sound you hear is a countdown clock, as the Alberta Teachers’ Association prepares for a province-wide strike.

On Wednesday, the ATA announced that it has given notice of strike action if a deal is not reached by Oct. 6, as negotiations between teachers and TEBA remain at an impasse.

“They’ve had enough,” ATA president Jason Schilling said.

“They’ve had enough of being underfunded.”

“They’ve had enough of having their salaries fall further and further behind inflation,” he added.

A vote taken between May 22 and May 26 saw 99 per cent of the nearly 38,000 teachers who cast their ballot approve a strike authorization vote.

The union had until Oct. 7 to serve strike notice, and Schilling said the ATA opted against 72-hour notice to avoid uncertainty for families.

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