Hi,
Our team of Dusty Humphries, Richard Palen, Danielle Gahr, Melissa Johnson, Megan Rileg and Keith Meeuwsen met with the districts team of Patty, Andy Croley, Lori Thompson, Alan King, and Jessica. (Bonita was not present).
It was all niceties as we exchanged ground rules for negotiations. We then set our next meeting dates which are April 4th and April 18th.
As a team we are still working out the final language to our proposals and if you have anything you want to tell us it is not too late.
As you know we have a 2.1 million deficit that looms large in negotiations. We also know that pay and health care benefits are the two big issues and that there are some very vocal people who got no raise at all last year who do not want to be left behind again this year.
We have also been paying attention to Portland and what they were able to do this year. One thing Portland has been able to do is pass levies - they do make a difference in what you can negotiate!!!
Anyhow - show up to the next bargaining session and lets see what we can do.
Keith
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
OOOPS!!!! Patty is not gone yet!
Hi,
OUCH! Like I said at the end of the year breakfast - I am good at putting my foot in my mouth! I said last night at the contract ratification meeting that Patty had retired. That is true - however - it is not effective until the end of NEXT SCHOOLYEAR. I had my date wrong. Please forgive me - I think I was so shocked at the announcement that I did not read the rest carefully enough.
As for the meeting last night - wow - was I wrong. I thought it would be a short 15 minute meeting and we would vote - I had no idea it would be so eventful! I talked with Patty this morning and we are working on the language for prep time because people were not happy with the proposed language and so it had to be adjusted. Patty and I seem to be on the same page on prep time language and we will get that out to everyone who was not at the meeting ASAP. We will also be sending the ballots to decide whether or not we ratify in the mail today, if possible.
If you are interested in looking over the contract, it should be online at the district website soon.
Keith
OUCH! Like I said at the end of the year breakfast - I am good at putting my foot in my mouth! I said last night at the contract ratification meeting that Patty had retired. That is true - however - it is not effective until the end of NEXT SCHOOLYEAR. I had my date wrong. Please forgive me - I think I was so shocked at the announcement that I did not read the rest carefully enough.
As for the meeting last night - wow - was I wrong. I thought it would be a short 15 minute meeting and we would vote - I had no idea it would be so eventful! I talked with Patty this morning and we are working on the language for prep time because people were not happy with the proposed language and so it had to be adjusted. Patty and I seem to be on the same page on prep time language and we will get that out to everyone who was not at the meeting ASAP. We will also be sending the ballots to decide whether or not we ratify in the mail today, if possible.
If you are interested in looking over the contract, it should be online at the district website soon.
Keith
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Your pay raise explained.
Hi,
Soon after I posted the news on the contract and your raise I realized it may not make sense. Here is the deal. You will get 50% of the full step increase in your paychecks starting in August. On the salary schedule you will move to the next spot but will only be paid for half of it. The idea was to keep all of you who can move, move, so you next year when we negotiate you will start in an improved spot on the salary scale.
For example.
A teacher who is on Master step 6 in 2009-2010 earned $47,515, next year you will move to step 7 which is $49,080. That means you should make $1,565 more dollars next year but you only get 50% of that total so your real raise is $782.50 which will be spread throughout all of your paychecks for next year. The upside is in 2011-2012 you will move to step 8 which is more money and lets hope that we get a raise in salary as well. Our goal was to keep you moving down the steps.
I hope that helps, if you have questions let me know.
Keith
Soon after I posted the news on the contract and your raise I realized it may not make sense. Here is the deal. You will get 50% of the full step increase in your paychecks starting in August. On the salary schedule you will move to the next spot but will only be paid for half of it. The idea was to keep all of you who can move, move, so you next year when we negotiate you will start in an improved spot on the salary scale.
For example.
A teacher who is on Master step 6 in 2009-2010 earned $47,515, next year you will move to step 7 which is $49,080. That means you should make $1,565 more dollars next year but you only get 50% of that total so your real raise is $782.50 which will be spread throughout all of your paychecks for next year. The upside is in 2011-2012 you will move to step 8 which is more money and lets hope that we get a raise in salary as well. Our goal was to keep you moving down the steps.
I hope that helps, if you have questions let me know.
Keith
Friday, June 18, 2010
Ratification news.
Hi,
Ok, lets talk some specifics. First, we have a one year agreement which means we will be back at it in 6-8 months. Second, the insurance piece is as we proposed. Providence will no longer be offered, you can choose ODS 5 or 6 as well as Kaiser - those are the plans you can pick from. Dental and vision will be the same. The out of pocket per month for premiums stays about the same in all plans. We managed to keep the 92.5% that the district pays as a benefit to us. I know the district really wants to put a cap on insurance and that this was one of the biggest points of conflict between the district and SHEA. This year we got what we wanted, we will have to see what happens in the future - I don't know how long we can continue to have a percentage when insurance costs go up 25% a year.
Anyhow, as far as pay goes. You will get 50% of your step beginning in August. This means that everyone will see a bigger check next year except for those who are at the bottom - sorry. I am included in that group that does not get a pay raise. I will tell you that when I woke up yesterday I was annoyed and aggitated that I and all of the people like me were not getting a raise and everyone else was. I tried very hard to make a point of this with the district on the lack of a raise and that everyone was taking a salary schedule freeze. We cannot do this in the long run and keep a living wage. I see this as a one time thing and not the beginning of a pattern.
At the end of negotiations we all spoke of our fears for next year and how that could be really ugly. In both the budget committee meeting and negotiations there is talk of a possible levy or school funding proposal at the local level and have the community decide what type of schools they want. I told the board in both meetings that SHEA would be very interested in helping the district do what it takes to make our schools whole again. I hope all of the members will want to be a part of any effort to increase the funding at a local level so we can get whole again in the number of teachers and support staff as well as making sure we are paid the wages and benefits we deserve.
We will be having a meeting on Monday, June 21st at 7PM in the commons of the high school to show you all of the changes to the contract and vote on ratification. I hope to see you there.
I feel we have done a good job of protecting our workers, the students, and our contract in this very trying year. I sent a letter to both papers letting them know what happened and how much we as teachers gave up so that school would be a positive place for everyone next year. That is the negotiating teams biggest fear, that people will say that there was plenty of money and not see how much we gave to make this happen. The districts negotiation team was very impressed with what we have done to help and say that they will remember. Lets hope that is the case.
Anyhow, come on Monday and bring your questions and concerns with you.
Keith
Ok, lets talk some specifics. First, we have a one year agreement which means we will be back at it in 6-8 months. Second, the insurance piece is as we proposed. Providence will no longer be offered, you can choose ODS 5 or 6 as well as Kaiser - those are the plans you can pick from. Dental and vision will be the same. The out of pocket per month for premiums stays about the same in all plans. We managed to keep the 92.5% that the district pays as a benefit to us. I know the district really wants to put a cap on insurance and that this was one of the biggest points of conflict between the district and SHEA. This year we got what we wanted, we will have to see what happens in the future - I don't know how long we can continue to have a percentage when insurance costs go up 25% a year.
Anyhow, as far as pay goes. You will get 50% of your step beginning in August. This means that everyone will see a bigger check next year except for those who are at the bottom - sorry. I am included in that group that does not get a pay raise. I will tell you that when I woke up yesterday I was annoyed and aggitated that I and all of the people like me were not getting a raise and everyone else was. I tried very hard to make a point of this with the district on the lack of a raise and that everyone was taking a salary schedule freeze. We cannot do this in the long run and keep a living wage. I see this as a one time thing and not the beginning of a pattern.
At the end of negotiations we all spoke of our fears for next year and how that could be really ugly. In both the budget committee meeting and negotiations there is talk of a possible levy or school funding proposal at the local level and have the community decide what type of schools they want. I told the board in both meetings that SHEA would be very interested in helping the district do what it takes to make our schools whole again. I hope all of the members will want to be a part of any effort to increase the funding at a local level so we can get whole again in the number of teachers and support staff as well as making sure we are paid the wages and benefits we deserve.
We will be having a meeting on Monday, June 21st at 7PM in the commons of the high school to show you all of the changes to the contract and vote on ratification. I hope to see you there.
I feel we have done a good job of protecting our workers, the students, and our contract in this very trying year. I sent a letter to both papers letting them know what happened and how much we as teachers gave up so that school would be a positive place for everyone next year. That is the negotiating teams biggest fear, that people will say that there was plenty of money and not see how much we gave to make this happen. The districts negotiation team was very impressed with what we have done to help and say that they will remember. Lets hope that is the case.
Anyhow, come on Monday and bring your questions and concerns with you.
Keith
Thursday, June 17, 2010
ITS ALL OVER!!!
Hi,
We signed a tentative agreement with the school district tonight! I am tired, we have been at is since 12:00 noon today and I just got home so I will give you the specifics tomorrow. The agreement is what we talked about and there are no surprises. Sleep well and be ready to come to a ratification meeting in the near future!
Keith
We signed a tentative agreement with the school district tonight! I am tired, we have been at is since 12:00 noon today and I just got home so I will give you the specifics tomorrow. The agreement is what we talked about and there are no surprises. Sleep well and be ready to come to a ratification meeting in the near future!
Keith
Monday, June 14, 2010
What a disappointment!
Hi,
What a disappointment is to put it mildly - I was hoping for a more reasonable response from the district than the one we got today. I was hoping they would see we are trying to be flexible and creative in helping to solve the financial situation the district is in, apparently we have not done enough.
I would say that Patty, Jerry and Jamie all seem to get it and seem to be ready to deal, but the rest of the district's negotiating team does not seem ready to do much of anything except to put us off. I think there are people on the district's team that really want the dollar cap on insurance and anything short of that will not fly for them. I think that is unreasonable when we have given so much and they have not given anything. Richard said it well, when our team met after the session, when he said the only thing the district has given is the 30 minutes on Friday! That does not seem like a whole lot of movement if you ask me!
THANKS for all who attended today - your presence was noted and was helpful. We need that same presence at the budget committee meeting on Wednesday night and at negotiations on Thursday! We need to send the message that the district needs to bargain in good faith and not expect us to do it all for them and pay for it all as well!
What is really frustrating is that it seems like the districts team thinks we have secret motives as to why we are doing what we are doing and that we are not being on the up an up. It is almost insulting. We, as a team, have been nothing but honest and have worked very hard to come up with good ideas for the district, our members and our kids. I hope the people on the district's team figure that out!
I really have no idea what we will be offered on Thursday. I continue to hope for a settlement and think we have done all that we can do to make that happen. If the district does not agree to what we have offered it is enough to make me so upset I would almost want to go the other way and say, "too bad district, now I want a raise and I want steps and you need to find more money to make me happy because I tried to be reasonable and you were not". I am probably overreacting, but we have really tried hard to be decent and honest and I don't feel the district's team appreciates that enough. I did hear from a couple of people on their team that they do appreciate the work we have done, but I still want to see a legitimate offer come Thursday.
I will have to think hard the next couple of days about where we go from here and you should too. I don't think we have a whole lot more to give and I also don't think we should give any more. Let us hope the district comes to its senses and we get a good offer on Thursday. You should come to that meeting and find out!
Keith
What a disappointment is to put it mildly - I was hoping for a more reasonable response from the district than the one we got today. I was hoping they would see we are trying to be flexible and creative in helping to solve the financial situation the district is in, apparently we have not done enough.
I would say that Patty, Jerry and Jamie all seem to get it and seem to be ready to deal, but the rest of the district's negotiating team does not seem ready to do much of anything except to put us off. I think there are people on the district's team that really want the dollar cap on insurance and anything short of that will not fly for them. I think that is unreasonable when we have given so much and they have not given anything. Richard said it well, when our team met after the session, when he said the only thing the district has given is the 30 minutes on Friday! That does not seem like a whole lot of movement if you ask me!
THANKS for all who attended today - your presence was noted and was helpful. We need that same presence at the budget committee meeting on Wednesday night and at negotiations on Thursday! We need to send the message that the district needs to bargain in good faith and not expect us to do it all for them and pay for it all as well!
What is really frustrating is that it seems like the districts team thinks we have secret motives as to why we are doing what we are doing and that we are not being on the up an up. It is almost insulting. We, as a team, have been nothing but honest and have worked very hard to come up with good ideas for the district, our members and our kids. I hope the people on the district's team figure that out!
I really have no idea what we will be offered on Thursday. I continue to hope for a settlement and think we have done all that we can do to make that happen. If the district does not agree to what we have offered it is enough to make me so upset I would almost want to go the other way and say, "too bad district, now I want a raise and I want steps and you need to find more money to make me happy because I tried to be reasonable and you were not". I am probably overreacting, but we have really tried hard to be decent and honest and I don't feel the district's team appreciates that enough. I did hear from a couple of people on their team that they do appreciate the work we have done, but I still want to see a legitimate offer come Thursday.
I will have to think hard the next couple of days about where we go from here and you should too. I don't think we have a whole lot more to give and I also don't think we should give any more. Let us hope the district comes to its senses and we get a good offer on Thursday. You should come to that meeting and find out!
Keith
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Tomorrow is the big day!
Hi,
Tomorrow, June 14th, could be a very big day for all of us. We, the negotiating team, have high hopes that we can settle most if not all of the contract issues tomorrow and be able to send all of our members into the summer with the knowledge that things are settled and we can move forward. It would be a big sigh of relief if that comes true.
WE NEED EVERYONE POSSIBLE to show up at negotiations and encourage the districts negotiation team to settle. If anyone comes up with a good idea - like we all wear our union shirts or we all bring a piece of paper with the word SETTLE on it - I would try hard to pass the word along tomorrow before we start negotiations.
Last friday Tonya and I met with Patty and Terri and we all seem to think we are very close numbers wise. Patty was going to try to help with the other members of her negotiating team and get them on board to get this contract settled. I hope that she was successful.
HOPE TO SEE YOU AT 3:30!
Keith
Tomorrow, June 14th, could be a very big day for all of us. We, the negotiating team, have high hopes that we can settle most if not all of the contract issues tomorrow and be able to send all of our members into the summer with the knowledge that things are settled and we can move forward. It would be a big sigh of relief if that comes true.
WE NEED EVERYONE POSSIBLE to show up at negotiations and encourage the districts negotiation team to settle. If anyone comes up with a good idea - like we all wear our union shirts or we all bring a piece of paper with the word SETTLE on it - I would try hard to pass the word along tomorrow before we start negotiations.
Last friday Tonya and I met with Patty and Terri and we all seem to think we are very close numbers wise. Patty was going to try to help with the other members of her negotiating team and get them on board to get this contract settled. I hope that she was successful.
HOPE TO SEE YOU AT 3:30!
Keith
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