The Daily Local (dailylocal.com), Serving Chester County, PA
Teachers union rejects proposals in contract report
Spokesman says half-step raises, changes to health care won't pass
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
By Wm. Shawn Weigel, Staff Writer
Half-step increases in pay and an unwanted change in the medical plan are just two of the factors that led the Unionville-Chadds Ford teachers union to its second unanimous rejection of the fact-finders report.
The union was obliged by law to take a second vote on the contract no more than five and no less than 10 days after the initial vote on Monday, Feb. 7.
That same day, the school board voted unanimously 9-0 to accept those same findings.
Last week, the union again voted to reject the findings of the report they requested from the state last December.
Pat Clark, the teacher representative for the Unionville-Chadds Ford Education Association, said that the half-step raises scheduled for 2011-12 and 2012-13 would double the time it takes a newer teacher to reach maximum salary.
"Potentially, if you put that on paper, it would take (a new teacher) 32 years to hit the maximum salary," Clark said.
According to information from the fact-finders report, the half-step raises are equivalent to a raise of 1.04 percent.
Differences in the proposed health care plan were also a major snag, according to Clark.
The district proposes maintaining the current health care plan for the first year and then transitioning into the Keystone Direct Point of Service plan, where as the union would like to transition into the Personal Choice plan. Both proposals offer a "buy up" to the 10-20-70 plan, which Clark said both sides found favorable.
"We'd like to maintain a comparable plan, we're willing to pay more towards that plan, and we've offered concession from the current plan," Clark said.
He added that many teachers did not like the use of per-capita income date when formulating the salary matrix, particularly data from over 10 years ago.
"The comparison was faulty," Clark said, adding that the report used salary data of anyone in the district 15-years-old and up. They then take the total income of the community and divide it by the total number of people.
"The median income would maybe be a much better statistic use, or the household income may have been a better comparison point," he said.
Clark said that even though the union rejected the findings of the report, he was hopeful that the report could be used as a tool to help guide them towards settlement.
"We're trying to get back to the negotiating table, and we're still willing to negotiate a fair and equitable deal, it's just taking some time," Clark said.
Clark said that the situation, which has been ongoing since the last contract expired in June 2010, is starting to take its toll on the teachers and the community.
He added that while the teachers have discussed certain negotiation tactics like working only to contract, as did teachers in nearby Neshaminy School District, no decision has been made in that regard.
"The board is willing to get back to table to now," Clark said. "We're willing to be reasonable and hopefully get to a solution sooner rather than later."
Clark is hoping to schedule a negotiating session with the board sometime in the current week.
Attempts to contact U-CFSD board member Frank Murphy, who heads up the district faculties committee, have not been successful.
URL: http://www.dailylocal.com/articles/2011/02/23/news/srv0000010991525.prt
© 2011 dailylocal.com, a Journal Register Property
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
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http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/02/23/national/main20035613.shtml Please post & read this article. The teachers union needs realize their their time is limited. This is how it needs to be done and the way OASD should handle their present teachers union nonsense. This is happening in cities large and small for a few yrs now under the radar.
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