The headline in Sunday’s Bemidji Pioneer tells it all…Bemidji School District: Stalled Contract Negotiations Could Reduce State Aid. Some quick background….school districts are mandated by the state to have their contracts negotiated with teachers by Jan 15th or face a “penalty” by the state in the form of a deduction from their state aid formula. In the case of Bemidji, that penalty will be $130,000. The current contract runs out June 2010.
It seems from my take of the article that the school district is trying to change formulas used for raises and the union says they were not notified within the time frame allowed. This, believe it or not dates back 7 months ago to April and May with the teachers union filing a grievance in August. Next week it goes to arbitrator from the bureau of mediation services. This one issue is holding up talks…talks that could cost the school district $130,000 (or looking at it another way maybe 2 or 3 teaching positions). Bottom line there is a lot of finger pointing going on with the clock ticking.
We’re not alone in this mess. Out of 350 school districts currently going through negotiations, only 45 (12.8%) of them have settled. I don’t know who the “bureau of mediation services” are (probably a state agency) but they must certainly be a busy department with job security considering the state of things.
I have to admit I am not a big union backer. It kind of gets to me that when the legislature is in session, Education Minnesota and its President Tom Dooher are all over the television telling me to not accept “MEDIOCRACY” and to push for school funding from our legislators. But now when teacher negotiations are going on with many school districts hanging on for dear life, the union is no where to be found. The last news statement on Educate Minnesota’s website from its President was dated October 29th, pushing people to pass school levy’s before the November election.
The school districts are certainly not without blame either. School districts know the procedures and rules during negotiations and are pushing the envelope to take advantage at every level of the poor economy to leverage their position.
I have been a part of public education for the past 20 years. My 3 kids are products of public education. I realize that many contract negotiations go down to the final days and hours before the parties get serious. But there is absolutely NO WAY in this current economic climate that we can allow EITHER side to balk to the point of being fined an additional $130,000!! With jobs on the line, now is NOT the time to be playing games with grievances or “end around maneuvers” by school districts. Everyone has to realize things are not the same with wages, benefits and job security as it was 2 or 3 years ago. In my opinion education is just behind health care as being on the edge of a national disaster. Strong leadership is needed on both sides…from the Education Minnesota union and from school districts around the State of Minnesota. Teachers need to be held responsible by have promotions and pay dependent on outcomes…like virtually every other profession. School districts need to respect contract procedures in place, and offer fair and equitable contracts. And the union needs to show the leadership values they were built on and earning the public’s respect during negotiations. The public will absolutely not tolerate anything else but this.
It always escapes me as to why anyone would not be a union backer. That’s not to say I haven’t heard all the reasons why people say they aren’t fans of unions, it’s just that not one of those reasons is valid in any way, shape, or form. The only question is, why isn’t EVERYBODY union. EVERYONE in this country deserves to make a living wage. It is a fact that many millions of Americans do not. No one should have to work 3 jobs and never see their kids just to barely feed them. Do you honestly think for one minute that if teachers did not have a union they would make as much as they do? They are already grossly underpaid as it is. Anyone who says that teachers make enough or too much can not be taken seriously and must be disregarded. Regarding the comment on outcome pay, name one teacher in THIS school district who is not deserving. We either need to name names or stop making general statements about teachers or unions as a whole. My brother in law(who is non union) said to me once that what he hates about unions is that they protect workers who take advantage of the employer. I think if I wasn’t so dumbstruck and speechless about that, I would have pointed out that for every 1 time that MIGHT be the case, there are a million incidences of a non union employer sticking it to the non union employee. What amazes me most is how out of touch with reality the people who have theirs are with the have nots.
Along with EVERYONE making a living wage, I want world peace too. I totally agree in a perfect world these things should all happen. As far as a living wage…I do not agree that unions are the only avenue. (By the way…what is a “living wage?” Your interpretation maybe different than mine which maybe different from the union. And it even varies by industry) There are many companies and industries that are paying well w/o union representation. Unions have their place and have done many great things for labor in the U.S. During difficult economic times like these in such a challeging area such as education (which everyone agrees is a flawed system in the US and teachers are part of the problem and solution) there has got to be some give and take on both sides. Especially if we are facing penalties from the State stealing more $$$ from an already shrinking school district bank account.
Your question about what is a “living wage” is really the heart of the matter. It is very likely we disagree on this because I don’t believe anyone has the right to assess what someone else should make in their given employment. In other words, who are you to say what someone who works at McDonalds for example makes. I bring up McDonalds because usually people who work there make just a little over minimum wage and many people, who think they are holier than thou, believe thats the way it should be. I do not. Here is a situation where the people who actually do the real work make doodly squat and thousands of executives who do little or nothing, make millions per year. The disparity between the top and the bottom wage earners in a company such as that has increased at an incredible rate in the last 30 years and no one can deny that. It is obscene that the CEO of Mcdonalds makes a billion a year and has private planes, many houses, and yachts for doing little REAL work. This is not capitalism, it is greed and it is wrong. That’s what is flawed in the US, not the education system. I disagree whole heartedly that the education system is flawed so everyone does not agree on that. And again, what teachers are part of the problem? You make a general statment again about teachers without naming names. My daughter is a junior and a straight A student here in Bemidji. She is getting a great edcuation that is preparing her for life. I credit every teacher and the system here for her sucess(of course I credit her too, but we are talking about the system here). The only thing that is flawed is that schools are underfunded. There is plenty of money out there, we just need to take it from the richest 1 percent who can more than afford it. One last thing: optimists believe world peace is possible, pessimists do not. My glass is always half full. Great debate though, Mike. You have the best blog on here by far.