FRESNO - Indignant that negotiations continue to drag on and on, leaders of the 4,500-member Fresno Teachers Association have voted overwhelmingly to set up a strike fund and to allow the union's executive board to call for a general membership strike vote if it is deemed necessary.
The significant actions were taken Monday night by the FTA Representative Council, which consists of 220 teacher leaders elected by fellow teachers at their respective schools. Fresno teachers have had no cost of living adjustment (COLA) for 15 months because the Fresno Unified School District refuses to settle salary issues for the 2001-2002 school year, said FTA President Sherry Wood.
"Teachers do not want to strike. But, we must be prepared if the district forces us into a position of taking a job action. Teachers are the cornerstone of an effective educational system and must be a priority if the district is truly sincere about providing a quality education for our children," Wood said. "As teachers, we work respectfully with students each and every day. It is time that the district begins to work respectfully with teachers."
Wood said teachers are also frustrated because the FTA bargaining team met with the district and a state-appointed mediator on Oct.1 for more than 14 hours and no settlement was reached. Another mediation session is scheduled for Nov.1.
Fresno Unified received millions of dollars in new state funding yet refused to agree to a fair cost of living adjustment for teachers. "Despite salary settlements reached by neighboring school districts, we are still trying to obtain the COLA that the district negotiated over three years ago and was due to teachers last year," Wood said.
In an effort to avoid a confrontation over salary negotiations, the state appointed a neutral fact-finder in June to assess the issues as presented by both sides and issue a report with recommendations. No report has been issued as the fact-finder continues to try and mediate the dispute.