Local businesses lent a helping hand to the Coalinga Huron Unified Teachers Association (CHUTA) as its bargaining team forged a healthy new contract with the school district.
With signs up in Coalinga storefronts announcing "This business supports quality education," local business owners let the school board and superintendent know where they stood in the weeks before a contract was reached.
Members of the Coalinga Huron Unified Teachers Association walk the picket line; cards reminded merchants of the need to support their cause.
As a result of the public show of support for teachers, the 208-member chapter was able to win a three-year contract that will provide a 9 percent raise to members as well as commit the district to full funding of health benefits.
Up until the beginning of the year, the teachers' contract talks had been stuck for months while the chapter battled a district that was trying to prolong negotiations and create division in the community.
District officials had been talking to the Chamber of Commerce and community groups "and telling them that teachers weren't from this community and did not spend their money in this community," explains Tom Wells, CHUTA bargaining team co-chair.
"We decided to prove them wrong."
For several weeks, teachers began inserting little cards that read, "Today I supported your local place of business! I encourage you to support quality education locally" into the envelopes they used to pay their bills.
Cards were also handed out as teachers did business with restaurants, banks, clothing stores, pharmacies and car dealerships.
The local Ford dealership owner discovered that several teachers had purchased their cars from him, while many other businesses learned just how often teachers were patronizing their stores.
"The business community had no idea how much money had come from teachers. It helped us to show not only that teachers live here as residents, but that those who don't live here do spend their money here," says Wells, a resident of Hanford who buys his school supplies in Huron, where he teaches.
The teachers also accelerated their support for businesses by holding their meetings in local restaurants.
After several weeks, they asked these businesses to carry signs of support for quality education and to e-mail and write letters to the board of education on behalf of the teachers.
CHUTA member Barbara Lucas presents a certificate of appreciation to the owners of the New China Restaurant, one of many businesses that posted signs in their windows announcing their support for teachers and quality education.
"This was really one of the best things we did," says Wells. "After seven or eight months of stalled contract talks, our teachers had been getting antsy. We needed to do something that would get everyone back on board and our business campaign did it."
By March 8, the chapter had a tentative agreement that was ratified a few days later.
The contract not only provides a salary increase, but also protects health benefits at a time when health care costs are mounting.
"We negotiated with the district to give up part of our COLA to raise the district cap on health care higher," says Wells.
In the second year of the contract, for example, CHUTA will give up 1.5 percent of their cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to fully fund health benefits; in the third year, the chapter will target 1 percent of teachers' salary increases to raise the health benefits cap to $8,500.
"We now have one of the highest paid caps in three counties and our teachers will be protected from health care increases that are being threatened," says Wells. "We're giving up a little in COLA, but paying less in taxes. Our teachers are very grateful."
Salaries also remain decent for members, adds Wells. Beginning teachers can expect about $39,000 to start while veteran teachers at the other end of the schedule will make close to $70,000 - much of which will, undoubtedly, continue to be spent locally.
"The key to CHUTA's success in negotiations with the district was our ability to stay totally unified as an organization," says CHUTA President Suzanne McVicker.
"All sites and grade levels (K-12) participated in crisis activities. Every divisive effort on the part of the district was met by positive, correct information disseminated to the membership, school board, and both communities."
There were no individual heroes, she says, but rather the organization as a whole made the district respect the teachers' position.
"Through our joint efforts, our negotiating team was able to work from a position of strength to achieve a successful outcome for all."
Dale Martin
