The first week of June was a good one for members of the Teachers Association of Long Beach, yielding both school board and city council race victories, and a contract settlement that promises to tone down the vitriol in what had been a very contentious struggle with the Long Beach Unified School District.

 

On June 6, the teachers' recommended candidate David Barton defeated an incumbent in a runoff election for a seat on the district board of education. Barton, also the newly elected president of the Santa Ana Educators Association, was the second victorious TALB school board candidate in three contested races this year. In April, UTLA member Michael Ellis defeated an incumbent Long Beach board member.

 

In yet another race, TALB staff member Gerrie Schipske won election to the Long Beach City Council, a win that promises to expedite responses to school site and neighborhood safety concerns.

 

Although Barton's victory left TALB short one vote for a clear majority on the five-person school board, it was soon apparent that a majority was not necessary to begin turning things around.

 

The first result of TALB's new political clout was a salary settlement that gives members a 4 percent retroactive increase for 2005-06 and a 6 percent increase for 2006-07. Additional increases to longevity steps and salary schedule compaction add an additional 1 percent to the salary package. District contributions to the health care package will be maintained throughout the three-year agreement. Gains were also made for speech pathologists, special education teachers, and for the kindergarten workday.

 

The settlement ended months of negotiation that had left both sides bitterly divided until an election week offer by the district. The battle had played out in the local press, with attacks in the Press-Telegram against both the chapter and individual TALB staff members.

 

"There was a visible shift in the district attitude at the table immediately before the election," says TALB President Tony Diaz, referring to an unexpected district offer heralded with banner headlines in the newspaper. "I think the sudden generosity was an effort to influence public opinion to support their endorsed candidate, the incumbent." After Barton's Election Day victory, the district team's attitude toward getting a settlement became stronger. "It became clear after our win that they were serious about wrapping up negotiations with a fair settlement, and both sides worked quickly to make that happen," says Diaz.

 

In addition to the election's impact, TALB Bargaining Chair Bob Joplin credits the diversity of the bargaining team and the support of TALB's organizing team in moving the district toward a more realistic offer. "The team was a real cross section of our members, and they all brought different areas of expertise and perspective," he says.

 

The district was also faced with the repercussions of a recently produced interim financial report that supported TALB's budget analysis.

 

"When they finally gave us the information we'd been requesting, it was obvious the data was very advantageous to the teachers' position," says Joplin.

 

Diaz sees the settlement and TALB's political and organizational strength as an opportunity to move forward.

 

"I'd like to see the district working more closely with us on issues that matter to our members. We've made some significant gains, but there's still room for improvement."