Does Consolidation Favor The Maine Education Association?
While there have been claims made, that the alleged savings from the forced administrative consolidation of school districts will "improve the quality of education and contain taxes" (Elinor Goldberg, president of the Maine Children's Alliance), we do not agree with that appraisal.
One of the many issues raised by those trying to implement the new law is the requirement that all of the separate collective-bargaining units (unions) representing a particular class of school employees must be merged into a single region-wide bargaining unit which will then negotiate a single regional contract. The law also requires that all existing agreements must be honored through their expiration dates, although interim contracts can be used to provide coincidental expiration dates.
One of the most intriguing elements of this change though is that represented employees will not be voting on whether to approve or reject the merger of their collective bargaining agreements. As we reported on July 12, 2007, State spokesman, Norm Higgins said, " On teacher contracts, for example, all the contracts go to the new unit..."
Why are the bargaining units so quiet about that?
"In the best-case scenario, you bring everybody up to the best position of the several contracts," said Robert Webster, Superintendent of Union 76, which includes Brooklin, Sedgwick and the Deer Isle-Stonington CSD. "That assumes that those at the best positions would be willing to freeze their benefits and salaries to allow everyone else to catch up. That’s not a terribly realistic scenario given the nature of collective bargaining." (BDN, Jan. 9)
It is much more likely that the expectation is that all employees will be moved to "appropriate scale" upon ratification of a new agreement. Disparate salary and benefit levels across the proposed MSAD 46, MSAD 4, Harmony, and Wellington RSU, for example, will likely be decided by whatever becomes the best "flagship" collective bargaining agreement in the region.
It seems possible that the contracts now being negotiated by the MSAD 46 Board will determine the future costs of the operations of schools in other communities and "the raise in minimum teacher salary will lead to subsequent increases in experienced teachers’ salaries due to the resultant upward pressure in local contracted salary schedules."
It should be a good organizing tool for the MEA.
Given that six members of the MSAD 46 Board in the December Board meeting (Board action item L) attempted to bind the RSU to a five year contract with their superintendent, where is the real expectation of collaboration with the other communities in the RSU?
One of the many issues raised by those trying to implement the new law is the requirement that all of the separate collective-bargaining units (unions) representing a particular class of school employees must be merged into a single region-wide bargaining unit which will then negotiate a single regional contract. The law also requires that all existing agreements must be honored through their expiration dates, although interim contracts can be used to provide coincidental expiration dates.
One of the most intriguing elements of this change though is that represented employees will not be voting on whether to approve or reject the merger of their collective bargaining agreements. As we reported on July 12, 2007, State spokesman, Norm Higgins said, " On teacher contracts, for example, all the contracts go to the new unit..."
Why are the bargaining units so quiet about that?
"In the best-case scenario, you bring everybody up to the best position of the several contracts," said Robert Webster, Superintendent of Union 76, which includes Brooklin, Sedgwick and the Deer Isle-Stonington CSD. "That assumes that those at the best positions would be willing to freeze their benefits and salaries to allow everyone else to catch up. That’s not a terribly realistic scenario given the nature of collective bargaining." (BDN, Jan. 9)
It is much more likely that the expectation is that all employees will be moved to "appropriate scale" upon ratification of a new agreement. Disparate salary and benefit levels across the proposed MSAD 46, MSAD 4, Harmony, and Wellington RSU, for example, will likely be decided by whatever becomes the best "flagship" collective bargaining agreement in the region.
It seems possible that the contracts now being negotiated by the MSAD 46 Board will determine the future costs of the operations of schools in other communities and "the raise in minimum teacher salary will lead to subsequent increases in experienced teachers’ salaries due to the resultant upward pressure in local contracted salary schedules."
It should be a good organizing tool for the MEA.
Given that six members of the MSAD 46 Board in the December Board meeting (Board action item L) attempted to bind the RSU to a five year contract with their superintendent, where is the real expectation of collaboration with the other communities in the RSU?
posted by Art | 1/23/2008 07:46:00 AM
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