Dear Colleagues,
Yesterday your 795 bargaining team went through training with the Board’s team at the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS). Members of the team are: 1st Vice-President Brian Schaner, 2nd Vice-President Tamar Gray, Treasurer Jen Bennett, Monticello Steward Teri McGeary, and yours truly. 3rd Vice-President Michael Carter will join us when we negotiated the monitor contract. In the past, we have primarily engaged in traditional bargaining, which is where issues are not thoroughly discussed, where proposals are created in isolation and passed across the table, and where two people do the majority of the talking. Although this method has always produced a contract for us, it is a lengthy process that is inefficient and usually contentious.
This year we are trying something called Critical Issues Bargaining. Each team brings no more than 10 big issues to the table. For instance, one of our issues may be around time. We will try to frame the issue of time in a way that will help the Board’s team understand our frustrations and concerns over everything related to this topic. We will focus the issue, the Board will have their own concerns around time that may or may not be counter to ours, we will discuss possible solutions, and on some parts we may agree. If there are unresolvable issues we may need help from the FMCS to bring us into agreement. That is the basic idea behind this type of bargaining.
We have reserved seven full days between April 17 and May 24 to work with the Board on these negotiations. It is our hope to resolve enough issues that we can ratify a new contract by June 1. It will not be easy. We may be able to come to agreement on many proposals, but when things come down to money there will always be trouble. The Board needs to be able to certify that they can pay for whatever contracts they enter into. We need to have raises for our members since STRS contributions are increasing and we have had no cost of living increases for 2 years. Hopefully we can come to an agreement acceptable to all.
During these next two months of bargaining we will update you on the issues we may be discussing, but we will not be giving specifics until we let this process run its course. It is unfair to look at tentative agreements in isolation without considering the whole contract. That being said, if we come to the membership for a ratification vote we will be sending out as much information as we can so you can ask questions and understand the offer. I would love for us to settle before school is out, but will not bring you an offer our team cannot recommend.
In Union,
Ari Klein
CHTU President