Chapters make strong gains; others still fighting

By Mike Myslinski

Hard work, basic organizing skills and strong solidarity have paid off for several CTA chapters in recent months as teachers continue to win contracts that protect health benefits and secure decent salary hikes across the state.

But despite solid wins in several areas, thousands of CTA members are facing potential labor showdowns, with nearly 30 chapters in at least the state-assisted mediation stage of conflict, or worse.

"The good news is that recent settlements prove once again that teachers who are united are winning victories at the table," says CTA President Barbara E. Kerr. "Every chapter faces different challenges, but strong CTA locals can and do win strong contracts."

What a difference a new superintendent made for the 9,000-member San Diego Education Association serving the state's second largest school district of 140,000 students. After years of labor strife under former San Diego Unified Superintendent Alan Bersin, SDEA President Terry Pesta says, the recent round of bargaining with new Superintendent Carl Cohn went smoothly for teachers.

Teachers won a 3.5 percent raise effective Jan. 1 of this year and will continue to receive health benefits without paying any portion of the premium costs. Staff development was modified so that teachers will work three fewer days a year, but not lose any training. Only salaries and benefits were up for negotiation in this third and final year of the current SDEA contract.

With teachers approving the deal by a 98 percent vote in February, SDEA has considerable momentum as it gets set to start bargaining an entirely new contract in May, says Pesta. "This was a great first step. We are doing well on benefits, but we're still in the bottom quartile in the county in salaries."

In Los Angeles County, after going three years with no raises as a tradeoff to protect health benefits, the tightly organized East Whittier Education Association will be enjoying the fruits of its long labors at the bargaining table.

Site visits, phone trees, postcards to school board members and other tactics paid off, says EWEA President Madeline Shapiro. "We weren't going to take no for an answer."

The district knew teachers, who had faced severe cuts in years past, were organized, says Shapiro. "And we learned how to read their financial documents."

The 480-member chapter recently nailed down a new contract with a 5 percent raise, retroactive to Sept. 1, and improvements to longevity steps on the pay schedule for veteran teachers. In addition, the number of annual personal need days was doubled to four, and chapter leaders got 10 additional days of leave time for union work.

Health benefits were held intact, with teachers keeping fully-paid Kaiser family coverage. The chapter and district will meet again to negotiate salary and benefits in the second and third years of the contract.

In Riverside County, the 100-member Romoland Teachers Association won a 7 percent increase in the salary schedule, effective Jan. 17, thanks to its recently concluded amicable negotiations with the district on salary and benefits.

"Our goal was to raise our salaries to the middle range of what the 11 surrounding districts are paying," says Romoland President Cathy Prince. "We made good progress toward that goal. We have built a really good relationship with the district, and it really paid off this year."

The chapter's veteran teachers will see $500 added to each longevity step on the salary schedule. The growing district also agreed to pay more for health benefits, increasing its cap by 1.2 percent, retroactive to July 1.

In the Bay Area, a settlement by United Teachers of Richmond offers hope to CTA chapters in the region.

With health care benefits at stake, UTR's teacher solidarity, community rallies, and school site mobilization paid off recently with a contract win that protects fully paid benefits for active employees and vested retirees.

"We just made it clear that we were not going to give in on our health benefits," says UTR President Gail Mendes. The 2,000-member unit covers teachers in the sprawling West Contra Costa Unified School District, which has been run by a state administrator for 15 years. "Losing benefits was not an option for us. Period."

Teachers also won a 3 percent raise effective Jan. 1 of this year, on top of a 2 percent raise retroactive to last July. Also won were improvements in evaluation language and grievance timelines, and an additional $1,000 added to the salaries of teachers who earn National Board Certification.

In Sacramento, a strike buildup by teachers willing to walk if necessary resulted in a solid contract with raises and class size restrictions that members of the Grant Teachers Association ratified March 1. "We'd already purchased our strike signs," says GTA President John Ennis. "We ramped things up quite a bit after the strong strike authorization vote by our members in December. We packed the school board meetings."

The 670-member GTA had been without a contract or raise since July 1, 2004. The new contract is better than the one GTA members rejected in December, after the bargaining team took a neutral stance on it.

The 6.75 percent salary hike over three years includes at least 3.25 percent for the 2006-07 school year. They also won a hard cap on class sizes — in a district where some classrooms hold 40 students at times - which means a limit of 32 students in most cases, 29 in remedial classes.

With health costs soaring, the settlement means the district can only pass along half of its increased costs in each coverage category.

Elsewhere around the state, bitter contract fights are simmering in many areas where some teachers have gone without raises for years.

In San Francisco, teachers' frustration over going without a raise since July 2002 boiled over in a Feb. 28 protest. More than 400 teachers and school paraprofessionals marched and rallied outside the school board meeting in the latest show of solidarity by members of United Educators of San Francisco.

An escort of 12 helpful motorcycle cops followed UESF members, blocking off streets as the crowd marched forward, joined along the way by members of other unions. Teachers then packed the school board meeting, delaying its start. The possibility of a strike seems more real than ever.

"We think we have waited long enough for fair treatment from this district," UESF President Dennis Kelly noted after the rally. "Now we need to consider taking action."

UESF is demanding fair pay and safer schools for the 3,700 teachers and 1,800 paraprofessionals it represents, as well as equal protection rights and binding arbitration for paraprofessionals. One of its most effective organizing tools is an e-mail advisory list [sign up at http://action@uesf.org/]. Community leafleting, phone banking and strategy meetings are continuing.

Across the San Francisco Bay, the 3,200-member Oakland Education Association was putting the finishing touches on a March 8 community rally for quality Oakland schools to express its outrage at the district's unwillingness to negotiate fairly after two years at the bargaining table.

Parents, community leaders and other unions were expected to stand with teachers at the rally, which is part of a massive OEA organizing campaign to pressure the district to settle now.

Teachers are demanding fair labor contracts with restoration of district-paid health benefits, says OEA President Ben Visnick.

"The community will stand with us because our schools are the future of Oakland and every city. We're losing a third of our teachers every year because of the district's indifference."

OEA is building on the momentum it gained from a neutral state factfinder's report in January that concluded the district can afford to settle fairly with teachers, who have not had a raise since 2002.

Another CTA hot spot is La Mesa (San Diego County).

Grossmont Education Association teachers have not had a raise since June 2003 and have been feeling the heat from the Grossmont Union High School District at the bargaining table.

Teachers are fighting back by galvanizing the community in hopes it will pressure the district to settle.

The contract expired June 30, 2004, and negotiations stalled as teachers sought a 4 percent raise for the 2004-05 school year. The district only offered 1 percent — off the salary schedule. The district also refused a GEA demand that it pay 85 percent of the cost of health insurance for teachers' dependents.

At press time, a huge GEA rally was being planned for March 9 with the backing of parents, community leaders and other unions. Teachers are using their chapter website to spread the word about their contract fight www.gea-action.org.

Fruitless state mediation sessions recently added insult to injury. The district still refuses to bargain fairly, says Bruce Seaman, president of the 1,100-member GEA. "As punishment — because we have not settled a new contract yet — the district has saddled teachers with the increased cost of health benefits."

"But this just backfired on them," says Seaman. "People are more angry than ever."