Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for February 20, 2002 UPDATE: NEGOTIATIONS & MERGER

Bargaining teams for the Board of Education and the Cairo Association of Teachers met last night from 5:30 p.m. until 8:10 p.m. After some additional discussion, Section 3.4 (Voluntary Staff Transfer) and Section 3.8 (Involuntary Transfer) were TA'd.

The discussion concerning Section 3.4 centered on an employee's ability to claim a job being advertised...the Board team expressing concern that the existing language took discretion out of the hands of the building administrator. The Association team explained how it had worked in the past and the administration confirmed that it had NOT been a problem. Therefore, the language stood as amended...that amendment simply consisting of incorporating the existing addendum into the contract proper.

The discussion concerning Section 3.8 centered on the first sentence of the last paragraph: "A teacher with ten or more years of experience in the District will have the right to veto any reassignment (as defined in the first paragraph of this section) unless the reassignment is being done to reduce the number of teaching positions." The Association team explained the intent of this language as originally negotiated. Namely, that the administration/Board could exercise "management rights" during the first ten (10) years of an employee's tenure. After that, the employee gained job site security/stability. In the event a vacancy occurred at another building, which necessitated an involuntary transfer, an employee with less than 10 years of service would have to be moved prior to one with more than 10 years of service. With this explanation, Section 3.8 was TA'd as amended...that amendment giving the administration the ability (in the event an employee vacated a position) to reduce the number of teaching positions in a building by NOT advertising the "vacancy" (externally) and adjusting the job assignments of remaining building personnel. (The vacated position WOULD be advertised within the building so that those employees could exercise their rights under Section 3.4.)

The teams then turned their attention to Section 3.11 (Working Conditions). The Association team restated its justification for proposals made. Much discussion followed. The Board team agreed to present a counterproposal at our next negotiations session. The Association team also asked the Board team to review a CAT counterproposal to Section 3.12 (Instructional Facilities) prior to the next session. They agreed to do so.

Prior to adjournment, the Association team asked the Board team if there was a way to complete Section 2.17 (Student Discipline). The two teams have spent considerable time on this section and are now "20 minutes apart"...namely, the CAT team wants to continue the "50-minute time out" for elementary students who are guilty of Class II or Class III violations of the Code of Conduct. (The specification of Class II and Class III was a concession on the part of the Association team to address the Board team's expressed concern that elementary students were missing too much instructional time for minor infractions...being sent to the office for not having paper or pencil, for chewing gum, etc.) The Board team wants to reduce that "time out" to 30 minutes. After further discussion, it was agreed that the two parties would come to the next session with a fresh proposal...agreeing that the length of time was secondary to the desired outcome...behavior modification. So...if you have any ideas...let us know!

The next negotiating session...February 25th at 5:30 p.m.

MERGER:

First of all...THANK YOU...CAT MEMBERS fulfilled the commitment made to teachers' assistants. For this, you are to be commended.

HOWEVER...the teachers' assistants voted "NO" to merger by a sizeable majority - voting to remain with the Laborers International Union of North America Local Number 773. Who woudda thunkit? We do not know what prompted the teachers' assistants change of heart, but it was NOT any tentativeness on your part. You embraced their desire to become part of our union by a 75% majority.

Hopefully, the merger movement prompted Local 773 to give the teachers' assistants the attention that they evidently found lacking when they asked to join with CAT. WE KNOW the difficulties of negotiations. A stong local with national backing is essential to success. GOOD LUCK to the TEACHERS' ASSISTANTS!