Contract Tentative Agreement Summary 0506

FT. LAUDERDALE, FLA. , Aug. 3, 2006 - The Broward Teachers Union and School Board of Broward County will conduct a joint press conference at 1 p.m. today at the BTU Offices in Tamarac. The press conference is open to the public. Details released at the press conference will be posted online shortly after the event.

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FT. LAUDERDALE, FLA. , July 28, 2006 - Four tentative agreements were reached at Friday’s negotiation session.

Negotiators for the union and district agreed that itinerant employees will be reimbursed $30.00 per month for use of their cellular phones. They also reached an agreement regarding direct deposits. They agreed to a proposal that would add language to the contract regarding copy machine and computer usage which provides that “unreasonable restrictions shall not be placed on employees use of the equipment." Finally, they also agreed to a proposal that would add new language that “a steward’s planning period shall be scheduled at the end of the student day where feasible.”

Regarding compensation and health insurance, the district proposed a 6 percent salary schedule improvement with less than 5.5 percent dedicated to employee raises. Much was made of the need to raise beginning salaries with no mention made of retaining quality employees currently teaching in our schools. The remainder of their package would be funds spent by the district to meet their insurance obligations!!! Of course, this bogus proposal was quickly rejected by your bargaining team. Furthermore, the district’s proposal did not include a guaranteed step increase for the subsequent school year.

The BTU negotiations team counter-proposed a salary schedule improvement of 7 percent, emphasizing the importance of retaining experienced quality educators by paying decent salaries throughout the salary schedule. In addition, the union proposed additional money to offset part of the cost of heath insurance premium increases. BTU also conditioned its proposal upon the district’s acceptance of an automatic step increase for the next school year.

Negotiations are scheduled to resume at 2:00 next Wednesday, August 2 at the BTU office.

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FT. LAUDERDALE, FLA. , July 27, 2006 - Following a school board closed door session on Tuesday, contract negotiations began moving a much faster pace Wednesday.

Last night negotiations resulted in tentative agreements in the following areas:

Article 19 – “employees participating on labor/management

committees shall be reimbursed for mileage, parking, and tolls …”

Article 8 - the District will make every effort to continue to provide a media center staffed specifically by a media specialist.
The Board will provide (to the degree finances permit) educational computer software as well as adequate and appropriate testing materials

The District requested that we look at the following four items in reconsidering our salary proposal:

Step increase

Look at salary schedule and putting additional monies for beginning teachers so we remain competitive for recruitment purposes

District will continue to fund insurance in the same manner that we currently fund

Look at leveling model for insurance

However, the District did not put a financial packet on the table. The current salary proposals are 4% for the District and 7.98%.

Due to the fast pace of tentative agreements and positive movement forward, both teams agreed to a special negotiation session for Friday, July 29. Future special negotiation sessions may also be required. BTU Communications will do everything it can to announce the sessions as soon as formal and final notification of the session's time and date is received.

Interested members are encouraged to monitor BTUonline.com for updates even through the weekend.

FT. LAUDERDALE, FLA. , July 20, 2006 - Despite the district assigning a new chief negotiator, little was accomplished during this week's contract negotiations.

The district's new chief negotiator has yet to meet with School Board members to receive authorization to address financial impact proposals (i.e. increase in TDIF funds) . Tentative agreements were reached on two provisions: Language was added to Article 8 Curriculum and Instruction which requires the District to make available computer equipment with internet access. The composition of the Data Collection Review Committee addressed in Article 12 was modified to add a classroom teacher.

The District's chief negotiator stated how much respect the district has for teachers and education professionals. At the same time, they proffered language to limit telephone usage of local calls, explaining that even though there is no financial impact, some teachers make too many personal telephone calls.

Clearly, the real negotiations should be focused on the fact some Principals make too much money if monitoring local telephone usage is a priority.

FT. LAUDERDALE, FLA. , July 12, 2006 - District officials have requested the contract negotiations session between the union and school board scheduled for 2 p.m. on July 12th be canceled. They also announced that district Chief Negotiator Linda Wetzel will be replaced, but failed to name the district's new top negotiator or any details that would explain the change. As additional information becomes available, it will be released.

FT. LAUDERDALE, FLA. , July 5, 2006 - Contract negotiations between the district and union were canceled due to scheduling conflicts. You are cordially invited to join us for our next session scheduled at 2:00 p.m. at Virginia Shuman Young Elementary on July 12th.

FT. LAUDERDALE, FLA. , JUNE 30, 2006 - The District has verbally proposed eliminating the current salary schedule replacing the step movement with salary ranges. As a Union, we are reluctant to consider proposals which discount years of experience. Union negotiators are even more hesitant to consider salary proposals that are coupled with a pitiful one per cent increase. The District will formalize their salary proposal at the July 12, 2006 negotiation session. At that time they will also explain their salary range proposal with the use of visual aids.

The District was not prepared to discuss the new proposals regarding paperwork reduction, nor the A++ legislation. The District's negotiators had stated they would bring a matrix simplifying this complex legislation providing the District's perspective as to what is needed to be negotiated to comply with the changes in the law. They failed to provide this important information. Due to her failure, the Union is now identifying areas where contract language may need to be negotiated, and will be bringing these proposals to the table soon.

Many thanks go out to the surprisingly large number of teachers for attending these early negotiation sessions. What an impressive show of solidarity. You are cordially invited to join us for our next session scheduled at 2:00 p.m. at Virginia Shuman Young Elementary on July 12th.

FT. LAUDERDALE , FLA. , June 22, 2006 – The district brought no new salary offer to the third bargaining session. They indicated that they were still looking for money to fund a raise in addition to the step movement on the current salary schedule. So discussions turned to other issues.

BTU introduced new proposals dealing with paperwork reduction and implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act -- issues that were not resolved in labor/management committees during the year. The district proposed an examination of issues arising from recent A++ legislation, which impacts a variety of pay and working conditions.

Two tentative agreements were reached on working condition proposals introduced by BTU. One allows teachers to terminate parent conferences that become abusive and to request administrative support when there is reason to believe that a parent will exhibit inappropriate conduct. The second prevents teachers from having to deliver or pick up students during their 30 minute duty free lunch.

Other working conditions remained unresolved. The district seeks greater flexibility in assigning non-professional duties to teachers when other resources were not available. BTU wants to expand the right of teachers to have access to certain equipment and to limit visitors to the classroom.

BTU responded to the district’s proposals on leaves by rejecting some of the restrictions they sought and adding leave for disability that would balance the need to have continuity in instruction with the need of employees to return to gainful employment.

The next session will be at Virginia Shuman Young Elementary at 2:00 p.m. on June 28.

FT. LAUDERDALE , FLA. , June 15, 2006 – The second bargaining session began with an explanation of the sources of the projected budget shortfall for 2006-07. The district estimates that more than $125 million of the $147 million in new state aid will go toward class size reduction, an increase in retirement contribution and other escalating fixed costs. Adding the $42 million cost of a 3% raise for all employees (which includes the cost of the step increase already awarded teachers), the district is projecting a deficit unless it continues a budget freeze and makes other cuts.

BTU then reviewed its proposals, which call for an 8.75% salary increase. The total cost of that increase is $43 million over the amount needed to provide the automatic step movement guaranteed by the contract.

Most of the discussion revolved around BTU’s proposals regarding working conditions and fewer restrictions on teaching styles. In addition to better access to materials and equipment, BTU tackled the issues of parent conferences, teaching from a cart, testing demands and the parade of classroom visitors.

BTU’s also proposed giving teachers whose students are successful greater freedom in choosing their own teaching methods, while less successful teachers might be subject to greater direction. Low performing students and schools would be given additional resources that would be developed through teacher and union involvement.

The economic demands for salary and benefits were glossed over until the district had a better handle on the costs and its financial picture, which may not be available until mid-July.

The high point was the district’s willingness to investigate the steps needed to bring equity to teachers who lost credit for years of experience because they were hired prior to 2001. A more definitive response is expected at the next session. The low point was an unwillingness to discuss staffing levels for media centers because it was not a mandatory subject of bargaining.

The next negotiating session is scheduled for 2 p.m. Wednesday, June 21 at the BTU office. As with all negotiation dates, please call 954-486-6250 to confirm that the meeting is still taking place.

FT. LAUDERDALE , FLA. , June 13, 2006 – Broward Teachers Union and School Board of Broward County negotiations opened with a review of the proposals presented by the School Board. The district made no salary offer above the step already guaranteed by the current contract. They claimed a $37 million shortfall for 2006-07 and offered to bring the budget director to the next meeting to explain how $123 million in new state funds could leave them in such a financial hole.

Other salary issues involved complying with the requirements of new A++ legislation, which mandates tying salaries to student achievement in some form and changing the way payroll is done. The only “take back” in this area was not paying teachers who sacrifice their planning period to proctor FCAT exams.

The two articles they opened concerned leaves and emergency school closing. The district delayed introducing proposals on insurance until the School Board fixes premiums for 2007.