David Mielke spoke succinctly and scooted early in last night’s School Board meeting, dashing home for cake and ice cream in honor of his daughter’s 18th birthday.
So quickly did the Teachers Union President vanish that he was out of earshot a moment later when his sizzling adversary, School Board member Steve Gourley, appended a tart coda to Mr. Mielke’s accusatory but impersonal comments.
Before taking yet another shot at Mr. Mielke for filing a “malicious” case against him last year during contract negotiations, Mr. Gourley stepped up the scolding temperature of his critique.
He accused Mr. Mielke and his union of “trying to blackmail us and hold the Board hostage” in the current negotiations.
‘Union Being Offered Less’
In reporting his regular bargaining update, Mr. Mielke focused on the process, charging the School District with shifting backward. “We met first with you on Sept. 22,” he said. “Our position then was, ‘we’re not going to make any concessions unless management makes some cuts.’ We got to April and you hadn’t made any cuts. So we said, ‘Okay, we need to do our part.’ We said ‘we’ll take 5 unpaid days next year, just as we are doing this year.’
“That didn’t bring us to a settlement. So last week we said, ‘we’ll go to 6 unpaid days next year.’
“When we meet next week, I hope you will accept that figure and settle.
“In terms of the process, we have real concerns. Last year we had to file a complaint with the Public Employment Relations Board over a violation called ‘direct dealing.’
“This year we are contemplating making another complaint regarding regressive bargaining.
“In bargaining, you can’t go backwards. We couldn’t show up next week and say, ‘well, we offered you 6 days but we changed our minds and we are just going to take 2 days.’ You can’t do that. It’s against the law.
“In your bargaining with us, your first proposal, for pay cuts, added up to about $800,000 to our unit. Then you came back and said, ‘will you take 9 furlough days?’ That adds up to over a million dollars. It is a regressive proposal. Then you came back and said, ‘will you take 5 days and pay cuts?’ That adds up to more than $800,000. Then you said, ‘how about 8 furlough days?’ That adds up to more than $800,000.
“You can’t go backwards in bargaining. And so we will work with you. But we are not going to entertain regressive proposals. I would encourage all of you to get together and really follow the law regarding collective bargaining.”
Sprinkle with Salt
Was the Board feeling chastened?
As the swinging entry door was waving goodbye to Mr. Mielke, Mr. Gourley began speaking, softly, as the applause was fading.
“Since we have a bigger crowd than usual here tonight, I hope you will take Mr. Mielke’s discussion with a grain of salt.
“If anybody has come back with negative bargaining, it certainly has been the union. The union has added two proposals to their most recent bargaining.
“And, in fact, they are trying to blackmail and hold hostage the Board and the teachers of your kids.
“Finally, in last year’s attempt to sue me for telling the truth after teachers wrote to me, emailed me, it ended in a stalemate after Mr. Mielke wasted the both the Board’s time and money and the union’s time and money by filing a malicious and unmeritorious challenge to PERB.
“You have to take what Mr. Mielke says with a grain of salt.”
