CAT Tracks for May 15, 2002 CAESP SETTLES...CUSTODIANS NEXT?

BOARD FINALLY GETS MESSAGE!

For the past two weeks, the CAT has been publicizing that Cairo School District Number One has four unions...and that none of them have a contract. That the common denominator is the Cairo Board of Education.

Evidently, the Board finally realized how bad they look. On Monday night, the Board of Education reached tentative agreement with the secretarial union...reportedly, a three-year agreement with better percentage raises than they have offered the teachers...AND...with the same insurance benefit that we fought long and hard to gain. Congratulations to the members of the CAESP!

ALSO, the Board of Education met with the custodial union Tuesday night...no word yet on whether they reached settlement. According to a media source, the Board is scheduled to negotiate with teachers' assistants next Tuesday night. Best wishes to both unions.

Gee...I don't think they like us! Have we struck a nerve? It is blatantly obvious that they are trying to isolate teachers...to portray us as greedy and selfish...the ONLY union that won't agree to a contract. I don't think so! They are the ones who refuse to negotiate with us...resubmitting the same proposal over-and-over...as we continually come down. They don't want to negotiate with us...they want to punish us! It's all about retaliation.

THINK THURSDAY

Since the Board refuses to meet with us, plans go forward for us to meet with them...to join them Thursday evening at 5 p.m. at their regular monthly meeting. Since the Board continues to believe/preach that the CAT bargaining team does NOT represent its members...that the CAT bargaining team lies to its members...you will have the opportunity to send them a very clear message: "Our team speaks for us...negotiate with them...NOW!" When the Board sees first hand the unity that we see every day...hopefully, they will realize that it is time to end the lockout...and get the kids back in school.

We cannot stand by and allow a board member or two to destroy this district. From what we see at the table, one or two board members are willing to do just that - to throw away hundreds of thousands of dollars - to punish teachers. We must appeal to the other Board members to STOP AND THINK of the ramifications of this lockout. The District keeps issuing press releases predicting "gloom and doom" if the strike continues. However...as we know...the CAT tried to end the strike last Friday. But...Barney...whose "MONEY METER" keeps running as the strike continues...took the Board's proposal off the table...AFTER we accepted it!

So...If "children go hungry" in Cairo this summer, as the Board's press release warned, it will be the fault of the Cairo Board of Education...NOT the Cairo Association of Teachers. If it had been up to us, we would have been back in school a long time ago...this past Monday for sure!

8 a.m. - 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Need I say more? I didn't think so!

LEFT, LEFT...LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT

"A little birdie told me" that our afternoon picketers are being heard...LOUD AND CLEAR. Keep up the good work!