Union President David Mielke was so upset by self-ordained adversary Steve Gourley’s sternest outburst yet at Tuesday’s School Board meeting that he has written twice to the Board and to Supt. Patti Jaffe — just since the meeting — seeking relief from being subjected to blood-curdling lashings from Mr. Gourley at every Board assembly.
For months almost without interruption, the fourth-year Board member and longtime politician has branded Mr. Mielke a “liar,” ratcheting the volume and intensity, presumably over the state of bargaining negotiations.
“I was hoping this would go away on its own,” said Mr. Mielke, the easygoing, invariably congenial leader of the Teachers Union since the 1980s.
“But every other Tuesday when I address the Board, the response from Mr. Gourley is unpleasant.
“For two reasons, I have decided that I cannot decline to respond and put up with this until December when he is off the Board.”
With a smile, Mr. Mielke said he has “no intention of fanning the flames. My intention is to get us back to the place where Culver City always has been: We disagree but we respect each other.”
Mr. Gourley’s excessive displeasure with Mr. Mielke apparently is rooted in a ruling last January by the Public Employment Relations Board, PERB, that evaluated collective bargaining charges against him by the union. The outcome was widely judged a draw.
What does Mr. Mielke think has sparked the inflammatory, accusatory diet of nail-laden lectures?
“You would have to ask him if the PERB ruling started this,” Mr. Mielke said. “But he didn’t seem to respond positively to it. There was nothing personal about that case. I am sure if we were to violate collective bargaining law, the School District would file against us. And when they violate the law, we file against them. If they filed against us because we made an error, I would not take it personally.
“Whether Mr. Gourley is taking it personally, I don’t know. But that could be involved here.
“I have two bigger concerns:
“All our union has is its credibility.
“At every meeting, Mr. Gourley says ‘The union is lying, the union is lying, Dave Mielke is a liar, Dave Mielke is a liar.’
“That harms the 300 people I represent.
“As I said, I was hoping this would go away on its own. But I just can’t sit by and have their interests be harmed if, in fact, the word goes out from an elected official on a regular basis, ‘They’re liars, they’re liars, their liars.’”
Mr. Mielke came to the private interview prepared to prove Mr. Gourley’s charges wrong.
(To be concluded Monday.)
