By Dale Martin
An effort to demonstrate strength despite the scattered nature of its rural membership has resulted in a contract win for the El Dorado Union High School District Faculty Association.
Teachers averted an attempt to increase class size and negotiated a 3 percent increase in medical benefits, a 2.5 percent increase on the salary schedule and a one-time retroactive salary payment of 1.25 percent.
Back when the state's economy was in good shape, teachers in El Dorado had a collaborative relationship with their district. But when the economy went sour, so did their relationship.
"We had back-to-back hits in the district where an accounting problem led to a $2.3 million shortfall, and then we lost $2.5 million to state cuts," says Dave Hamblen, president of the 325-member chapter.
To avoid layoffs, teachers agreed to forego salary increases at the time. The following year wasn't much better. By 2003, the board and the district proposed increasing class sizes to balance the budget. They also told the teachers they couldn't keep up with increases in the cost of health insurance coverage.
"That, to us, represented a degradation of working conditions. We told them they needed to honor their obligation to provide medical coverage and to keep class sizes where they were," says Hamblen.
Showing they meant what they said required action.
Although its membership is scattered over a widespread area centering on Placerville in the Sierras, the chapter turned out 250 to 275 teachers at three different school board meetings to protest the proposals.
The teachers also took to sporting "W.I.T." (Whatever It Takes) buttons, indicating their willingness to take things to the next level.
"Our folks were consistently willing to adopt a position that was informed," says Hamblen. "They felt they deserved this and defended their position."
The chapter also got involved in the school board election this fall in an attempt to unseat two nonsupportive board members. While the effort wasn't successful, Hamblen says the teachers learned a lot about the election process and will remain active for the next school board race in two years.
"To a very great degree, the whole organizing effort has strengthened our association," says Hamblen. "It's also helped us recognize we have teachers who are geographically spread out and tend to feel isolated. Even though we may have some different issues, we accomplish so much more when we share our concerns and band together."