He credited the new Superintendent of the Culver City district, Dr. Myrna Rivera Cote, with playing a pivotal role in winding up bargaining months earlier than last year.
The Right Choice
I have met her on a number of occasions, the President said, and she always says the right things. When talks bogged down, she wanted to help. She asked to meet with leaders, and this was a big help. She definitely was a factor in the outcome.
The Union often tangled with the retired Supt. Dr. Laura McGaughey and the School Board, a detail that did not elude Mr. Mielke.
Can you believe? Mr. Mielke asked, rhetorically. We may be starting a new era of very good relations between the District and the Union? That would be a switch.
Sweet and Sour
Mr. Mielke said there is an ever so slight taste of sourness lingering on the taste buds of Teachers Union members this week.
Teachers have not forgotten the prickly scenarios at the end of last years stormy negotiations.
They were appalled to learn that after toiling for the full length of the school year to work out a new agreement, management, the Unions arch-rival for District dollars, was handed an identical pay hike.
Psychologically, it got worse immediately for the Teachers Union.
Pass the Salt, Please
Sprinkling pepper if not salt into the supposedly healing wounds of teachers, Mr. Mielke recalled, management shortly was awarded a second raise. This, he remembered, was described as a market correction in their salaries.
With some new players in key roles this time, the bargaining environment was improved.
The Unions 350 members are scheduled to vote on ratification of the one-year deal after classes on Friday, and thefrontpageonline.com will report the results at the end of the day.
Informational Meeting
Mr. Mielke has invited the teachers to meet with him Thursday afternoon at 3:30 in the library on the Culver City High School campus to learn more about the annually renegotiated contract.
He does not have a speech prepared. Instead, he will answer questions.
Union approval is expected the next day. However, as recently as last year, the membership rejected one settlement offer agreed to by its leaders.
Why Vote Yea?
The best reason for teachers to vote for this contract, Mr. Mielke said, is the 4 percent really four and a half percent aggregate raise.
With our salary schedule being reorganized, the year to year movement will be greater for teachers. Some years the steps have shrunk. Other times, the salary steps just have been out of whack.
Not every teacher will be getting a 4 percent raise. Some will get less. Some, more. But then there also is the half-percent increase in health care benefits to consider.
One or Two Eyes
Always casting at least one eye on competing school districts, the Union president acknowledged the Culver City settlement is less than the 6 percent LAUSD got. But their situation was a perfect storm-type of situation. Everything really came together just right for them.
Not by accident did Mr. Mielke compare and contrast with the plum deal gained last month by LAUSD teachers.
Our members always, always pay attention to what is going on over there, he said. They are influenced by what goes on with LAUSD.
