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.

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..."