National Negotiations Update # 8 (4/9-4/13)

National Negotiations Update #8


California

Alameda-- Contract talks have soured, they want a mediator.

Hayward-- Long story short, two superintendents in the Hayward school district received 16% raises, the teachers asked for the same-- only fair, right? District said no, how about half of that or so. Here is some background on the situation. This article is about strike preparations. The second day of the strike is documented. A scab complains about having someone pound their fist on his car. Indymedia gives some more info and commenters add to the discussion. This blogspot site is run by Tennyson High School journalism students and documents the work stoppage. You can also check out their myspace page, but I wouldn't do it from school if I were you.

Inglewood-- 150 teachers protested a 1% raise the school board offered. In addition, 180 teachers of the local had received suspicious layoff notices and recalls (including tenured teachers) that smacked of intimidation.

Monterey-- North Monterey County Unified School District will not experience continued sick-outs by the North Monterey County Federation of Teachers; the two parties have reached a tentative agreement. You may remember the sickouts (that were not sponsored by the union) had caused the districts some distress, as documented in an earlier NNU.

Conneticut

Greenwich-- Administrators have performance pay now, why doesn't the Greenwich EA accept it in their new contract? (At least that's the question the school board is asking these days). The GEA President expresses her skepticism; I think they're going to pass on that one.

Florida

Manatee-- The Manatee EA and the Manatee School District are in negotiations.

Illinois

Elgin-- the teacher union vows that they will not use the Superintendent's recent raise and salary in excess of $400k as a chip in negotiations.

Peoria-- A rank and file member of District 150 is unhappy with the job their President has done, so they are challenging them at the polls. In fact, all of the open seats are being contested, something that is quite rare in teacher union elections.

Indiana

Sandridge-- Sandridge Elementary District 172 and the Sandridge EA are at impasse, their March meeting with a mediator was called off 'cause there was flooding in the EA President's home. Doh!

Minnesota

Everywhere-- Interesting article on the plight of teachers and pay in Minnesota; their contract renegotiation cycle will begin shortly.

New Hampshire

Nashua-- A letter in support of the teachers and their needs in negotiations made the local paper. Surprising, because 229 requests from teachers for religious leave on Good Friday shut down the 1200+ teacher district.

New Jersey

Mannington Township-- Salem County Vocational Technical School District teachers have been working without a contract since last year. Fact finding has been scheduled for May.

New York

Valley Stream-- Valley Stream Teachers Association has a hearing with PERB coming up. Why? It's pretty interesting, actually. In New York and California, school districts are organized according to grade level. In the past, the 4 school districts have negotiated with VSTA as a whole entity. Now the high school district is trying to negotiate separate from the other three, prompting the PERB hearing-- the union ain't having it.

Ohio

Ledgemont-- The Ledgemont EA has reached a tentative 3 year deal with the school board.

Colerain Township-- The Northwest Local School District and the Northwest EA have reached a tentative agreement; members had previously authorized the bargaining team to call for a strike. You can read more about the authorization here.

Pennsylvania

Lehman Township-- Lake-Lehman School District bargaining is not going well. The teacher's union recently voted to authorize the bargaining team to strike, if need be.

Hayward: Day 5 (One week in)

The more I see what's going on in Hayward, and how HEA is handling things there (with the assistance of CTA) the more impressed I am. This is a really well-run strike (if there is such an animal).

Why do I say this? Here are my reasons (in no particular order)

1. They're getting media coverage that doesn't portray them as "those striking teachers".
2. It appears the parents support 'em.
3. They had 98% participation on the first day of the strike.
4. They've got a well-run website complete with updates and press releases and the like. Go here to the main page.
5. They're putting their strike newsletters known as "HEA on the Line" up in PDF format, go here to see them.
6. Their extensive use of Youtube is quite literally groundbreaking; to my knowledge, I haven't seen it used before when it comes to a US teachers strike; the grass-roots street cred it brings to the whole effort is great.
7. They made this poster for scabs. (opens to a PDF file)

They're supposed to be meeting today with a mediator and apparently the mayor will be sending a letter to the Superintendent. I hope they get this contract settled soon, to their liking.

National Negotiations Update #5

This is the latest in the national negotiations update. There are currently no school districts on strike in the United States to my knowledge.

California

Everywhere-- Things still have not gotten better in California, so CFA (California Faculty Association) are beginning their strike vote on Monday. This article outlines the imapct on California Maritime Academy.

Glendale-- The school board is offering 7.58% and the teachers' union wants 12.64%. The difference is 10 million dollars.

Hayward-- Top administrators in the district recently scored a 16% raise. The teachers are being offered 3%. You do the math. The negotiations went into fact-finding this past Tuesday.

San Jose-- Berryessa teachers' union rallied at the board, and they're asking for a 8.73% COLA.

Whittier-- The School Board President said to the teachers "If you're not happy with this district then perhaps you should look elswhere" and then the teachers voted no on the board's contract offer. I think the two are completely unrelated.

Illinois

Chicago- The CTU contract is about to expire, and Ryan at CTSO has some opinions. Victor gets the inside info on the dope...or is it poop?

Round Lake-- Suburban round lake has come to an agreement with the school board after a 12 hour mediation session. This is the district mentioned in an earlier NNU where their salary schedule tops out at over $100,000. This article talks about the difficulties in the negotiation process as a result of the uniqueness of their union.

Iowa

Bettendorf-- Teachers want 15%, School Board offers 3%.

Michigan

East Lansing-- The students are so fed up with the contract impasse, they plan to stand out in front of the school 10 minutes after the last bell and wear black. The teachers have been working to the rule as a result of stalled negotiations with the board, and students feel their needs are not being met by either group. Standing out in front of the school wearing black 10 minutes after the bell rings sounds like me in high school.

Ohio

Zanesville-- Respect? Family? These are not the words used by opposite sides of the bargaining table during negotiations, but they are being used. The Zanesville Education Association and the school board may have a new contract ready to go (pending rank and file vote) four months before the old one expires.

Pennsylvania

Pittsburg-- Senate Minority Leader Robert Mellow has put a bill in the hopper to ban teachers strikes in Pennsylvania, apparently the strike-happiest state in the union.

Don't touch my grades.

This is an interesting case in Stockton, California where a student failed a teachers' class, but the school board later changed the grade. The teachers' union has taken the school board to court over it, saying that that was not one of the criteria the school board could change the grade under and they need to change it back to an F.

Mathematically, the student failed the course. Student X did poorly on tests, didn't turn in enough of her homework and would have had to have earned a 101% on the final exam to get a passing grade for the year; she earned a 65% on that test. The student failed the course for the year, but the school board went back and changed the grade.

In California where this occured, state law says teachers determine final grades, but they can be changed "in cases of fraud, bad faith, incompetence or a clerical mistake". During the time the student was in Julie Abate's class, the union was involved in some heavy level negotiations with the school district. It got so bad that the teacher's union began to work to the rule.

For the unitiated, working to the rule is a job action, similar (but less severe than) a strike. It involves teachers doing the bare minium that the contract requires and nothing more. Typically, teachers walk in when their contract says walk in, and leave the building when their contract says leave. Extra curriculars are cancelled that aren't part of the contract (through chaperoning duties or extra pay) and typically the school becomes a ghost town as soon as the bell rings.

The board is saying that teacher Abate's grade was changed for student X due to the fact that she didn't grade a test in a timely fashion during work to the rule. The lawyer for the board has called it bad judgement, which somehow falls under the clerical mistake piece of things in the state law where a school board can change a student's grade. I would disagree with the lawyer's stance on this one, I think she's scrounging for an argument.

Some of you may be wondering why the union is spending dues money to defend a student's failing grade. It's quite simply, really-- the teacher did nothing wrong. If you're going to truly follow "work to the rule" you can't grade papers at home, and you have to find a few moments during your contract day to grade 'em, which is really, really hard. The teacher was excercising their right to participate in a collective bargaining action, and this needs to be supported.

Make no mistake about it, the case is not about whether a student passed or failed; it is about the rights of the Tracy Education Association to engage in a collective bargaining action and not face any retribution as a result. Clearly the school board seems to think that by participating in such an action, a teacher loses professional credibility and efficiency. As those of you know who have participated in job actions before, this is not the case. Shame on you, Tracy School Board. I hope the TEA win this case and the school board pays their legal bills.

On a side note, Marlborough Educator's Asssociation in Marlborough, Massachusetts have been working to the rule. Give 'em some support.

National Negotiations Update #4 (Week ending 3/2/07)

Welcome to the latest National Negotiations Update. Currently there aren't any districts on strike that I am aware of, but I have made some job action additions and corrections to StrikeWatch on the right. If you don't see your local on this list, please contact me at drhomeslice (at) hotmail. com .

Alaska

Anchorage- the Anchorage Education Association stormed the school board meeting. There were so many of them that the Anchorage police were called. An arbitrator's report is expected soon, and it will not be binding-- simply an opinion.

California

Bakersfield- The Bakersfield Union crashed the school board, protesting the transfer of a principal (go figure) and demanding a contract settlement. A mediator is supposed to come back March 7.

Campbell- Campbell Union High School District teachers are working to the rule, and have been for quite some time.

Everywhere- The California Faculty Association's executive board has agreed to put a vote to the rank and file on whether or not they want to begin job actions (which includes the possibility of a strike). This would occur on all of the campuses of California State University.

San Bernardino- Teachers at Big Bear Lake have been working under their expired 2005 contract. Negotiations are not going well.

San Mateo- San Mateo Union High School District isn't moving fast enough on their contract negotiations with their teachers, so teachers from three other school districts with them. You may remember this is the district that changed the amount of money they were taking out of the teachers' paychecks in the middle of negotiations. The union appealed to PERB and their complaint was upheld.

Santa Barbara- The teachers' union got a 3% raise retroactively through the 2008-2009 school year in the tentative contract agreement this past week. Coming to an agreement now prevented the district and union from having to endure fact finding with PERB.

Illinois

Elgin- Elgin Community College are picketing and will be meeting with a mediator. If the meeting doesn't work out, they will file a 10 day strike notice. It's the first time they've done that since 2001, the only strike in their local's history.

Dixon- The Dixon Education Association approved a 4 year contract. Lots of details here.

Indiana

South Bend- Cassopolis Schools Education Association ratified their contract, a two year deal retroactive to this school year. The most interesting part of the contract was the raise. Teachers will receive a 1% increase this year and a 2% increase next year. However, raising insurance rates will decrease the teachers' raise. Here's how: If insurance costs raise no more that 5%, the teachers' raise will not be affected. For each percent above 5% of an increase in health care costs, .1% will be subtracted from the teachers' raise. With health care rising each year in double digits (or very close to that) they will probably see at lease half a percent of the raise go to some insurer somewhere.

Massachusetts

Stoneham- For almost a year, the Stoneham Teachers' Association has been trying to get a new contract negotiated.

Michigan

Lansing- The school board unanimously approved the contract. Now we can put this sucker to bed. (See past NNU's for info on this local).

Northville- The Northville Education Association's contract expired in September of this past year, and negotiations have not been productive. The school district asked for fact finding, but it won't begin until the end of the school year (with one week left) in June. There's a great explanation of what fact-finding is attached to this article.

New Jersey

Pequannock-- Pequannock Township Education Association has asked for a mediator after the decision to hold contract negotiation sessions open to the public. They will not be broadcast over public television, but that is a later possibility.

Pennsylvania

Everywhere- The Bulletin follows the recent legislative attempts to outlaw teacher strikes.

Philadelphia- City College of Philadephia's union does a practice strike.

Coraopolis- The 65 member union rejected the latest Board contract offer and also approved strike authorization, though they have not set a date yet.

Rhode Island

Providence- As contracts expire between unions and school boards, at some point eventually they will be folded into a statewide teacher contract. Interesting. However, given the fact that Rhode Island is exactly half the size of my backyard, I wonder how many different unions will be affected? (My backyard's not that big, by the way.)

Vermont

Bellows Falls- The Windham Northeast Education Association is awaiting a fact-finding report that their school board can use to impose a contract on the union. The union has responded that if a contract is imposed upon them they have no option other than to strike.

National Negotiations Update #3 Week ending 2/16/07

California
Ventura County-- California State University employees protested again this past Wednesday, wearing shirts that said "I don't want to strike but I will". I've worn that button before.

Victorville-- Read about it here.

Colton-- Colton Teachers' Association just voted in a 14% 3 year contract retroactive to the 2005-2006 school year. 95% of the membership favored it. I'd like to find the other 5% and slap them for voting no on a 14% contract raise.

Carlsbad Unified Teachers Association and CUSD have declared impasse; the state will cocme in and mediate soon. The union wants 6.9%, the board is offering 2%.

Paradise-- Working to the rule no longer! The teachers' union still has to vote, but the board has approved a tentative raise of 11%.

Banning-- BUSD (Banning Unified School District) and its union reach a settlement on their contract, a 9% raise over three years retroactive to the beginning of the '06 school year.

Burbank-- The Burbank Teachers Association and BUSD have reached an impasse after 5 months of negotiations. A mediator will come into the picture in a few weeks. It turns out it was the board who broke confidentiality at the public section of the meeting by disclosing negotiation terms that were supposed to be secret.

Everywhere-- The California Faculty Association is getting closer to rolling strikes on 23 California State University campuses.

Santa Barbara-- Teachers want 6%, board offers 1.5%, negotiations go to fact finding, but the word strike buzzes around the board meeting attended by 400 Santa Barbara teachers. They now go to fact-finding/ arbitration phase, which could take a while. Well written article.

Conneticut
Stafford-- The Stafford Education Association got a 3 year contract with a 6.8% raise spread out through the 3 years of the contract. Interestingly enough, they got it in arbitration.

Florida

295 charter school teachers have voted to be represented by the United Teachers of Dade. Way to go, but it's a right to work state.

Illinois

Round Lake-- 95% of Round Lake Education Association members are ready to strike, says the President. Negotiating since June, the Chicago suburb's local is disappointed with offers by the board whose offers top out at almost $110,000.

Iowa

Fort Dodge-- Iowa Central Community College and the Iowa Community College Education Association have begun contract negotiations. Initial offer by the college was a 3.52% raise, the union wanted 5.75%. Future sessions will be in private.

Indiana

Bluffton-Harrison Teachers Association and the Bluffton-Harrison M.S.D. School Corporation came to an agreement over a contract after 16 months of negotiation-- and only one arbitration session. Way to go!

Maine

Wiscasset Teachers Association sat silently at a recent school board meeting to show their disapproval with the fact that their contract is going to mediation, something that's never happened before in the small Maine burg.

Massachusetts

Southwick-- Southwick's teachers' union approved a 4 year contract with retroactive raises after 2 years of negotiations.

Newton-- Newton Teachers' Association ratified a 3 year contract containing an 8% raise.

Michigan

Lansing-- The sickout that I wrote about in earlier editions of the NNU have some lingering effects. The Lansing State Journal wrote an editorial this past weekend chastising both administrators and teachers for their reactive bargaining techniques. The local has had meetings to introduce the teachers to the new contract (closed door, of course) and they have been voting on whether or not to ratify it. An announcement will not be made until after President's Day. UPDATE 2/17: Over 90% of teachers ratified the contract which will include a 3% raise over three years. Read about it here.

Gaylord-- A one year, half-percent contract was approved by the Johannesburg-Lewiston School Board and Education Association for the 2006-2007 school year.


New Jersey

Philipsburg-- Their contract expired in July, negotiations are not going well, and now the teachers union has begun to picket.


New Hampshire

Allentown-- Residents of Allentown have to vote to accept the proposed 4 year, 4.25% teacher contract.

Tennessee

The teachers' union says one member of the school board is negotiating through the media. She's requesting public information and then sending it to the media. I think they can do that on their own, thank you very much. The Board President says 'Yep, she's doing it and I can't stop her..."

National Negotiations Update for the Week Ending 2/9/07

Not as much this week, but some interesting stuff. I will be posting the next edition of the Union Bouquet in the next few days.

For the latest on teacher union strikes or negotiations, click here.

California
San Francisco-- This district near San Francisco has been negotiating for 19 months with the same board that precipitated a 2001 strike that caused 15-20% of the district's teachers to leave.

Paradise-- Paradise teachers are without a contract, they've been working to the rule for a while. Interestingly enough, this student has a blog in support of the teachers!

Michigan
Lansing-- over 700 teachers sicked out on Monday. They're planning to do it during count week too. More about it here. Wait, HOLD THE PHONE! Apparently they've reached a tentative agreement. Read about it here.

Nevada
Tahoe-- Tahoe Truckee Education Association pulled out a 7% raise retroactive to July, 2006, plus another 2% raise next year. Read more about it from the local's President here.

Pennsylvania
Chesterfield-- What do you do when your contract talks have stalled after almost a year and a half? Take Abraham Lincoln's birthday off as a holiday! (Yes, I'm serious about this.) Talk about creative bargaining techniques!

Negotiation House of Horrors!

Whew....I'm glad I don't have to deal with the frustration King City Joint Union HSD is causing their teachers' association.

What do I mean?



First, if you go to their website it looks like one school district, but is actually two: one for the high school and one for the elementary.


So anyhow, the KCHSTA (High School Teacher's Association) started salary negotiations in 2000.

1. The union began to negotiatiate in good faith.


2. Despite setbacks, they kept negotiations going.


3. The negotiations stalled.


4. The union started working to the rule.


5. Back to the bargaining table, but then the negotiations stall again.


6. The Union alleges to PERB (Public Employees Relations Board) and PERB (gasp) agrees. In fact, PERB believed that the district owed the union $5 million in back pay over the past 5 years (the ruling was reached in the fall of 2005).


7. Awarding that amount to teachers would have automatically paved the way for the state to take over the district (only a $15 million budget per year) so the teacher's union generously agreed to lower their compensation to $1.2 million. (Keep in mind that if the district were negotiating in good faith and committed to resolving these issues amicably, that they wouldn't have to deal with 3 years of back pay and retroactive raises.)


8. Shortly after the agreement was reached, someone in the district office provided the names of the highest paid teachers and what they would get retroactively. Keep in mind that much of that information is wrong. Some might call the release of that information "leaking", but it is public information. Of course, we know that it was done simply to make teachers look overpaid; something I don't think is possible.
   

The teachers of KCJUHSD (man, what an acronym) should be getting their retroactive money in about two months or so, but are you ready for the kicker?

All this is only good through the end of the 2007-2008 school year. Then they have to start negotiations all over again.

Patience, thy name is King City High School Teachers Association.

(Words by Dr. Homeslice, Artwork above "Negotiation" by David Ross.)

For the latest on teacher union strikes or negotiations, click here.