CAT Tracks for April 25, 2002

CAT Tracks for April 25, 2002

STRIKE BEGINS

STRIKE HEADQUARTERS

When it rains it pours! After weathering what Mother Nature delivered yesterday morning, the CAT found out that it had been turned down for its initial choice for a strike headquarters. Not to worry...within the hour, a silver lining appeared...in the form of Harper's Restaurant at 2013 Washington Avenue. Today, the lunch will be "on us" - your dues dollars at work. Thereafter, we will have to "kick in" to defray the cost of food and beverages. The IEA will reimburse rent, utilities, telephones, and other related strike items...but NOT food. BUT...for those of you who have done this before, you know that donating money for catering services sure beats cooking and cleaning!

TEACHERS' ASSISTANTS

The Teachers' Assistants union (and others?) received an ultimatum from the District's hired gun...AKA attorney. They were told to "either report to work tomorrow or put your job in jeopardy." This threat became bizarre later in the day when the superintendent directed all schools to send a letter home to parents...telling the parents NOT to send their children to school...that due to the teachers' work stoppage, there would be no school on April 25th. Bizarre? Why would you order employees who only work on student attendance days to report to school (or risk losing their jobs) on a day that you close the school? Didn't I say yesterday that the Board would do something "off-the-wall"? Later reports indicated that the motivation was punitive...have the aides work so that the District would have to dock the teachers for not reporting. Well...that is all subject to negotiations. Make-up days will be a priority for the CAT...to insure that students do not lose instructional time due to our legal activity.

DISTRICT PRESS RELEASE

At 4:00 p.m., the CAT received a copy of a press release issued by CSD #1. This release was filled with lies and exaggerations. A few examples...with comments:

"This past week the teachers walked away from negotiations because the Board of Education did not accept their demands for higher salaries and benefits." NOT TRUE! The meeting ended by mutual agreement so that the CAT bargaining team could report (late) to the membership meeting at the high school.

The CAT has demanded "an annual raise of $4,446". NOT TRUE! Two things: (1) The District has inflated the CAT request by basing it on last year's salary, minus the 3.75% "additional salary" and (2) the CAT has made is clear on several occasions that its position is negotiable...stating at the table that we do NOT expect to get that amount of money...just as we do not expect to get the pay cut that the Board is offering!

The Board is offering a pay/benefits increase "equivalent to an annual raise of $1,577 per teacher." NOT TRUE! Last year's 3.75% "additional salary" comes to approximately $109,000. They are offering $112,000 - a total dollar increase of $3,000 to be spread among 71 CATs. Do the math...that's $42.25 per teacher...PER YEAR...NOT per check! AND...Out of that "raise", the Board wants you to start paying $130 a month for health insurance!

Assertions/admissions best not made..."The Board of Education has offered the teachers a reasonable and fair pay raise, even though the District cannot afford the raise." NOT TRUE! But if it were...so much for their claim of "fiscal responsibility".

And..."because the District will lose $22,000 per day in state aid during this work stoppage, the solvency of the district is in serious jeopardy." Then why force your employees into such an action?

PARENT MEETING

If you will recall, during the membership meeting on Monday, one of our members asked if the CAT leadership would be willing to attend a parent meeting...to explain the issues to concerned citizens. We indicated at that time that we were willing.

That meeting took place yesterday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. In addition to parents, students, and several CAT members, the meeting was attended by Board President Joe Griggs, Superintendent Isom, and Barney Mundorf - the Board's attorney. (Keep the meter running on the District's legal fees...they "don't have money"...yet they take their lawyer to a parent's meeting...a two-hour meeting at $$$ an hour!)

The parents voiced their frustration and concern in very emotional terms...taking both sides to task for "putting their children on the street". At least a couple of parents were moved to support the teachers...saying that parents shared the blame for allowing their children "to run the streets"...long before the teachers' strike.

Towards the end, both sides were allowed "5 minutes" to state their case to the audience. As usual, the Board "cheated"...as attorney Mundorf, Superintendent Isom, and President Griggs all rose to speak. The CAT played by the rules...using its five minutes to assure the audience that the teachers also cared for their children, that we were NOT being greedy, that we had negotiated for over ten months in an effort to avoid a strike, but that teachers also had children and families to support and could not do so by accepting a pay cut while being asked to begin paying for health insurance.

At the suggestion of the moderator, the two sides agreed to return to the table...immediately.

NEGOTIATIONS

Would you believe a three-hour meeting to...set up a meeting? Speaking of legal fees...evidently the Board has decided to use their attorney, Barney Mundorf, to negotiate. (This is reminiscent of the strike of 1994...when the Board's attorney interjected himself into the process and effectively closed down the process.) Remember...attorneys get paid by the hour. As looooooong as negotiations continue, he gets paid!

Evidently, Barney prefers "shuttle diplomacy" - we never even got to see the Board team...much less talk to them. THAT should expedite the process - tongue firmly planted in cheek! Finally, at almost 10:30 p.m., we were presented with a "legaleze" document that said exactly what CAT had proposed last Monday (before we supposedly "walked out"). Oh, well, what's another few hundred dollars. (By the way, Barney was in the District all day yesterday...evidently spending the night...and will be back at it bright and early today. We have a Superintendent who is paid approximately $100,000 in salary and benefits but the Board brings in an attorney to "run a strike"...an attorney making much, much, MUCH more that the $33 an hour that he "accuses" the teachers of making! Rest assured that Mr. Mundorf has made several thousands of dollars this week! BUT...no money for teachers? Well, not at this rate!

So...Teachers will begin picketing their respective buildings today at the normal time for the opening of school. This will continue until a fair settlement is reached.

SEE YOU ON THE LINE!