QUOLKE’S CORNER #54
NEGOTIATIONS BEGIN
Well, I can finally say that Negotiations with the District and CTU have formally started. We formally exchanged proposals and had our first two negotiating sessions. While it is not the intent of the CTU to negotiate publicly, we will continue to communicate with our membership through updates and emails.
Negotiations are often described as a dance on a long road (with an agreed upon contract at the end of the road). If that is so, then I would have to say I don’t know what song we are dancing to yet. Not sure if I am hearing A Long and Winding Road, Thunder Road, Strange Road, or On the Road Again playing in the background. However, I think Bob Dylan had it right when he sang “You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows!”
While we have only begun our negotiations, I can tell you what has been announced publicly regarding non-union employees in the District. Non-union employees were gathered at a meeting on Thursday and informed that they would be taking a 4%-6% pay cut effective soon. In the Plain Dealer on Saturday it was reported that the District was also considering mandatory furlough days for about 650 non-union employees. The paper reports that the District is considering making the employees (including top administrators and principals) take 5-12 furlough days. A link to the complete article is below. Suffice to say, this has already prompted the newest round of rumors regarding our negotiations.
I know that we have a number of very difficult issues to negotiate. Special education, working spouse, health care, class size, etc. were going to be complex issues anyway; add in a projected $53 million deficit and the Transformation Plan and negotiations become very time consuming and complex. These are tough issues to tackle in a short period of time. Never the less the CTU and the District are on the road to doing just that.
In Union,
David
Link to the Plain Dealer article on Saturday regarding furloughs for non-union members: