Schools
Teachers Strike Enters Third Week In Union City
Teachers want a sizable pay raise. Administrators say the larger the pay raise to teachers, the bigger the program cuts down the line.
UNION CITY, CA — Teachers and administrators with the New Haven Unified School District resumed contract talks Sunday but did not reach an agreement after more than 11 hours of talks, setting the stage for a strike that has already lasted 10 days to continue Monday morning.
California Teachers Association spokeswoman Cynthia Menzel said negotiations resumed at 10 a.m. Sunday, with only teacher's union leaders and the school district's bargaining team at the table. Not present Sunday was state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, who was present for Friday's negotiations.
The teachers association moved on their offer Sunday, Menzel said, coming down to a proposal of a 6 percent salary increase over two years, as well as restoration for the days spent on strike and opportunities for retiring teachers to earn a full year of credit toward their retirement.
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"We want to end this strike, and this bargaining team has made considerable movement," said New Haven Teachers Association President Joe Ku'e Angeles. "The proposal falls within the recommendation of the neutral fact-finding report, which was put together by an experienced, conservative fact-finder."
The district, meanwhile, has offered a 2 percent salary increase for the coming school year that would take effect halfway through the year, plus a one-time 3 percent bonus for the current school year.
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John Mattos, a spokesman for the New Haven district, said in a statement Sunday that restoring strike pay won't fly.
"A strike is a work stoppage and teachers who strike are not paid. Retirement contributions to the State Teacher Retirement System (STRS) are reduced for each day a teacher strikes," Mattos said.
That same district statement Sunday also said the "regressive nature of NHTA's current proposal represents bad faith bargaining" and illustrates an unwillingness of the teachers' bargaining team to end the teacher strike.
There were no negotiations on Saturday. "We made it clear on Friday that our team was not available that day," Mattos said. Ku'e Angeles and school district Superintendent Dr. Arlando Smith traded barbs publicly, however.
The New Haven school board released its own statement Sunday, which, among other things, says the teachers union plays a role equal to the district in getting teachers back on the job. "The only ones stopping them from doing this, is them," the school board statement says. It also says that
the more concessions made to the teachers, the more budget cuts will come later.
"Regardless of the outcome of the strike, one reality is inescapable - we are going to have to make significant cuts," the school board statement says. "The board commits to engaging the community and stakeholders in this effort; only then can there be true empathy for how gut
wrenching this process is."
— Bay City News
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