Fed up with the lack of progress in contract negotiations - and with the fact that other Bay Area school districts are paying teachers more - educators in Alameda have voted to allow their union leaders to call a strike if necessary. Eighty-seven percent of the teachers voted in favor of authorizing a strike.
To emphasize their frustration, teachers staged a mock funeral march May 22 to warn of threats to the health of public education in Alameda.
Alameda teachers held a rally to protest disrespect at the bargaining table and authorized a strike if necessary.
A showdown with the district looms despite salary demands that are half what teachers in other districts have asked for and received this year. While new state funding has made double-digit raises possible in dozens of Bay Area school districts, Alameda teachers are requesting 10 percent for only half of this school year, says Margie Stanley, president of the 640-member Alameda Education Association (AEA).
Teachers are acknowledging that the district is short on cash, but contend that this is due to the district's poor budget practices. Many districts pay more. Senior teachers in nearby San Lorenzo, for example, earn $12,000 more than senior Alameda teachers.
Alameda teachers are seeking 10 percent for this school year - but only effective mid-year, the equivalent of a 5 percent raise - and about 4.87 percent for the 2001-02 school year. The district is offering 10 percent for this year, but only retroactive to April 1, the equivalent of a 2.6 percent raise; nothing for next school year; and 2 percent for 2002-03.
"The quality of education will suffer in Alameda if teachers continue to be treated with disrespect at the bargaining table," says Stanley. "Teachers are leaving the district for better pay. Those who remain are now willing to strike to fight for the quality of Alameda education."
Stanley says the funeral march was intended to warn the community about the potential "death" of Alameda's historically strong public schools.
around the state Alameda is just one of several localities where teachers are reaching the boiling point.
The Associated Chino Teachers have authorized their union to call a strike. Eighty-five percent of the 1,500 members voted in favor of the action. The argument with the district centers largely on salary, with ACT committed to a true double-digit raise for its members. The district is offering 10 percent retroactive only to December, and 2 percent of that is paid for with other salary cuts. The dispute has been certified for factfinding. In March, ACT released a vote of no confidence in the Chino Valley Unified School District Superintendent, George Bloch.
The El Centro Elementary Teachers Association has been without a contract since 1999-2000. The district is offering 4 percent for 2000-01 retroactive only to January, resulting in a 2 percent in-pocket raise. For 2000-01, the district is offering 5 percent. ECETA is seeking a full 4 percent for 1999-2000 and 13 percent for 2000-01. The impasse has been certified for factfinding in June. ECETA leafleted the community for support and produced a large turnout of teachers and parents for a Day of the Teacher rally before a school board meeting in May.
Although fairly close on salary issues, the Alhambra Teachers Association and the Alhambra High School and Elementary Districts remain at impasse over the issue of restoring health benefits for retirees. ATA has organized sit-ins, marches and community leafleting in support of the cause. A strike authorization vote has given the ATA Board the authority to call a walkout if necessary, and membership commitment runs high.
The Chico Unified Teachers Association is going to factfinding in June and is gearing up for a potential strike on the first day of school. The teachers have been at odds with the district over its attempt to capture ongoing base revenues and double-digit salary increases. This is not the first time the 730-member chapter has had difficulty in negotiations. It came close to a strike in 1999. Nearby, the Orland Teachers Association is also facing turmoil in its negotiating and may also start preparing for a strike.
The Black Oak Mine Teachers Association, a 110-member chapter in the El Dorado foothills, is involved in a bargaining dispute over salary. Teachers there are the lowest paid in the three-county area. A recent proposal by the district which would result in a cut in pay for 68 unit members has added insult to injury. The teachers' continuous actions at school sites and in the community have resulted in one school board member resigning. The district also recently lost four teachers to higher paying districts, a loss that in the small district is tremendous. The chapter has been certified for factfinding.
Also headed into factfinding is the Desert Area Teachers Association near Bakersfield. The teachers were in mediation with the district between February and May and have recently filed an unfair labor practices complaint against the district for putting proposals on the table that included issues not previously discussed. Outstanding issues include salary schedule increases for 2000-01 and the use of two days of personal necessity leave.
Alameda teachers held a rally to protest disrespect at the bargaining table and authorized a strike if necessary.
