Friends,
Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to freeze my buns off in New York City at a four-day conference sponsored by the AFT on helping local union and school district leaders develop real, meaningful labor/management partnerships. I don't think the temperature ever got above 22 degrees!
Supt. Dave LaRose and our CFT Field Rep Kevin Cronin completed our team of Culver City frostbitten participants.
I'm originally from Buffalo,, and this trip was a good reminder of why I moved out here 35 years ago.
There were teams from Ohio, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania as well as two other teams from California. Some districts were just embarking on the partnership journey. Others, like ABC Unified here in Los Angeles County, have been working collaboratively for years. We're just in our second year but it was clear to us that we are further down the partnership road than many districts. In fact, we have agreed to informally mentor the team from El Rancho Unified School District.
Research has shown that districts with true labor/management partnerships see almost immediate improvement in employee morale, but more importantly, experience significant gains in student achievement. Just as teachers at a school working together in PLC teams boost student achievement, union leaders working collaboratively with school boards and administrators do the same.
Saul Rubinstein at Rutgers University has done most of the research on the effect labor/management partnerships can have on our students. He has found that the “partnership effect” is second only to “socio-economic status” when it comes to student achievement. In fact, the negative effects of poverty can be offset in “high partnership” schools by a factor of 75 percent.
I'm seeing a real change in morale over these past two years, and I don't think it's a coincidence. As for bargaining, while other districts, like El Rancho, are still scheduling furlough days, we've added a 2.5 percent salary increase and an increase in health benefits this year to the 2 percent increase we bargained last year.
Dave, Kevin and I will be presenting at the CFT Convention next month in Manhattan Beach. We are continuing to work closely with both CFT and AFT to build on the foundation we've established.
Our next step is to make sure our site reps are meeting regularly with their principals – developing the kind of positive relationships at the sites that mirror the kind of relationship our union leaders have with Dave and his team.
Shoot me an email if you'll like more details about the conference or about the partnership.
dave
P.S. Dave LaRose shared with me yesterday that he has added his name, on the AFT website, as one who has pledged to support the AFT campaign to “Reclaim the Promise of Public Education.” Here's the pledge:
“I will reclaim the promise of public education – not as it is today or as it was in the past, but as we imagine it for our children – to fulfill our collective obligation to help all our children succeed.
“I will reclaim the promise to fight for neighborhood public schools that are safe, welcoming places for teaching and learning.
“I will reclaim the promise to ensure that teachers and school staff are well-prepared, are supported, have small class sizes, and have time to collaborate so they can meet the individual needs of every child.
“I will reclaim the promise to make sure our children have access to wraparound services to meet their emotional, social and health needs.”
And Dave's comment in an email: “Safe, caring places of working and learning; time to collaborate to meet the needs of every child; whole child curriculum/pathways and whole child services…………sounds like CCUSD.”
Mr. Mielke, president of the Teachers Union, may be contacted at davidmielke@ccusd.org
