Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for December 19, 2001 ...AND NO STEPS BACK?

On Monday night, bargaining teams for the CAT and the Board of Education met for two and one-half hours. The two sides reviewed a "summary" of the December 10th negotiations concerning the first half of Article II as prepared and submitted by the CAT. Following further discussion and subsequent revisions, the summary was TA'd. Finally, after 6 months...some tangible progress!

BUT...Don't break open the champagne just yet! We still have the remainder of Article II to go...and Article III...and Articles IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, and X...not to forget Article I...and the "Preface"! In fact, the "success" of Monday night consisted primarily of minimizing the damage proposed by the Board..."take-aways" from gains made by the Association during previous years of negotiations.

BUT...at least the Board showed signs of listening and responding after 6 months of foot-dragging and regressive bargaining. The CAT went on the offensive by making offers/concessions that the Board could not refuse - i.e. accepting THEIR proposals - even giving them more than they asked for in some instances! Hopefully, that will break the "logjam" and jump start a stalled negotiations process.

So...don't get too excited...ALSO don't worry that your team is "giving away the store". The Article II concessions were things that mostly affect the leadership of the CAT...NOT the day-to-day rights and responsibilities of the members. Your team felt that the Association could "live with them" and hopefully the strategy would provide momentum for protecting and gaining those rights most important to the general membership.

For example...probably the "heaviest" item addressed on Monday was that the Board of Education proposed to raise the charge of copying items found in your personnel file from the current five (5) cents per page to fifty (50) cents per page...wanting to "factor in" the salary of the person making the copy. The CAT produced documentation--from the School Code of Illinois--that this was not allowed. The Board can only charge the actual (documented) cost of duplication. The two teams then agreed to the language cited in the legal opinion.

Some pretty dry stuff indeed, but that is the nature of the process. Like the joke goes..."You had to be there!"

So, don't get your hopes too high, but...finally...movement! Hopefully, this is a preview of coming attractions.

The Board team promised to give the CAT a counterproposal to Article III prior to the next negotiations session. That session is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Monday, January 7, 2002.

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