It’s Tigers’ season, but several teachers were wearing orange this past week for another reason ? to send a message regarding ongoing contract negotiations.
‘The message is we’re feeling a little disrespected,” said Brooke Davis, Clarkston High School teacher and president of the Clarkston Education Association (CEA). “We think we should have had a fair contract by now.”
The teacher’s union is looking for a permanent salary increase, he said.
“One that won’t disappear at the end of the year ? we need to be able to make plans and battle inflation,” Davis said. “We’re not asking for the moon, just something fair, to show we’re valued.”
At press time Monday, teachers were planning to picket at Monday’s school board meeting.
“We think we should have been able to have a contract at the start of the school year to be able to start on a more positive note,” Davis said. “It’s always a little disheartening to not have a contract.”
Superintendent Dr. Rod Rock said he can’t comment on the negotiations.
“We are excited for an amazing school year,” Rock said.
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Judge Julia Stern, labor law judge at the Michigan Employment Relations Commission (MERC), ruled last week against the Michigan Education Association’s “August window” to opt out of the teachers’ union.
According to the ruling, MEA must ‘cease and desist from restraining and coercing employees in the exercise of their rights? and must amend its bylaw saying members can only opt out during the month of August.
The ruling is under appeal, Davis said.
Also, CEA has a three-year agency-fee agreement in place, approved last year by the Board of Education. The agreement allows teacher and other school employee unions to charge a fee for services to employees who opt out of membership. If upheld, the MERC decision would affect Clarkston in the future, he said.
Mackinac Center Legal Foundation filed unfair labor practice complaints at MERC last year on behalf of four Saginaw teachers.
The teachers, Jason LaPorte, Matthew Knapp, Susan Romska, and Kathy Eady-Miskiewicz, tried to resign from the MEA in September and October of 2013, but couldn’t because of the August window. According to the compaints, they felt bullied and intimidated by the state teachers union for trying to exercise their rights.
Judge Stern ordered the MEA to accept their resignations and post notices indicating the union committed unfair labor practices, eliminate the August-window bylaw, and stop prohibiting employees from exercising their rights.