Elk Grove Teachers Informational Picket

NEWS RELEASE

Elk Grove Education Association

9297 Office Park Circle, Suite 100
Elk Grove, CA 95758
www.egteachers.org

Contact:

Elk Grove Education Association

Maggie Ellis: (916) 685-4588; mellisegea@gmail.com
President, EGEA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Elk Grove teachers plan informational picket on Tuesday, February 21, 2012, 5:30 -7:00PM on Elk Grove-Florin Road

ELK GROVE - The Elk Grove Education Association (EGEA), representing over 3,000 certificated staff including teachers, counselors, nurses, library media teachers, and language, speech and hearing specialists will march to increase community awareness of the breakdown of labor relations in the Elk Grove Unified School District.

“Since the 1980’s, we have been committed to interest-based bargaining. The District has broken that commitment, and engaged in adversarial bargaining tactics resulting in the breaking of a signed agreement and manipulations of contract language,” says Maggie Ellis, EGEA president.

The march will begin at the corner of Williamson and Elk Grove Blvd at 6PM. Members will march to the Elk Grove Unified School District Office, located at 9510 Elk Grove-Florin Road, and attend the school board meeting, scheduled to begin at 7:00PM.

Elk Grove educators gave back to the district over $40,000,000 in 2010-11, and 2011-12 through 18 furlough days, salary concessions, and health care changes such as limiting doctor networks, and increasing office visit co-pays to $40. Members overwhelmingly voted to do this to minimize the reduction of services to students.

“We understand that health care costs have increased dramatically in recent years,” says Ellis. “Our members have always shared the burden of these rising costs. We are ready and willing to negotiate with the district a 2012-2013 contract that will best serve our members, students and community.”

The District has forced the signed 2010-2012 contract to be re-opened, to pursue a healthcare cap, set at the rate the District paid in 2010, and a 1.2% salary reduction, despite the fact that only four months are remaining in the agreement. During this same period, 2010-2012, the district’s reserves have grown to an unprecedented $65,000,000.

Elk Grove Unified School District is the largest school district in Northern California, and the fifth largest in the state, with 61 schools, and more than 60,000 students.