In this era of seemingly ever-shrinking district budgets, it seems ridiculous for a union leader to keep harping publicly that the School District is “breaking the law” when it has to change and lessen its bargaining proposal.
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Sure the District reconfigured its bargaining position with the Teachers Union and the Classified Union. It had to. The state reformulated its budgetary estimates and decreased its funding to the District. It would have been irresponsible for this District to continue to offer its original proposal when it knew there was not enough state funding coming in to support it.
Well, What Do You Know, Joe?
Here’s some bargaining information that neither the District nor the union will be volunteering to the public anytime soon. So I guess I will.
Now You See It…
The CCUSD Governing Board announced, with much fanfare, that the Teachers Union had agreed to “do its fair share” in taking 5 furlough days to help offset the state’s cuts in funding education. This 5-day certificated concession was equal to about 2.7 percent of their salaries and amounted to about $542K in District savings.
Now You Don't…
But then half of the District teachers, those still in the Step-and-Column program, quietly took their annual increases. These annual allowances added up to more than $350K in new District salary obligations. Doing the math, the net concession from the Teachers Union actually turned out to be only $192K — not even close to the over a half-million touted publicly.
Well Done, Dave!
It's no wonder Teachers Union President David Mielke is so optimistic these days. David should be brimming from ear to ear. The Teachers Union got great press when they agreed to “do their fair share.” And yet, over half of his union members were paid more in salary by the District than the previous year. It looks as if this bargaining session was definitely a “win-win” for the union.
At What Cost?
Is it worth it to have some teachers receive a 3 percent-4 percent Step-and-Column increase if it causes another teacher to get laid off or long-time Classified workers to lose their jobs? Are these fellow employees just being sacrificed? The Teachers Union has within its own power to save at least some of the staff positions now on the chopping block. All it has to do is to freeze its own annual Step-and-Column increases, thereby freeing up the $350K.
Why hasn't the Teachers Union leadership done what is honorable and at least save some of the jobs of their fellow District employees?
Mr. Laase may be contacted at GMlaase@aol.com
[img]1174|left|CCUSD CERTIFICATED STAFF STEP AND COLUMN 2009-2010||no_popup[/img]
