Vermont Teachers Walk Out on Strike for First Time in Nearly Two Decades
1 1 Care20 0 Stumbleup0 Digg0 ShareThis3 By Steve Gunn
Late last year, the Southwestern Vermont Supervisory Union school board wanted to conduct a collective bargaining session in public.
The school board and teachers union had been without a contract for two years, and the board probably wanted the tax-paying public to get a good taste of what the union was demanding.
The union declined to negotiate in public, and citizens remained in the dark.
Unfortunately they were still in the dark this morning when the teachers walked out on strike for the first time in nearly two decades. The walkout occurred after the two sides failed to reach an agreement Tuesday following a late-night, closed-door negotiating session.
Despite the lack of information shared with the public, a report posted on the district's website revealed that that the union has been seeking a whopping 4 percent salary increase for three straight years, which in the words of an independent fact-finder would be "overly generous in the current economic climate."
Teacher strikes are illegal in 37 states, and a bill pending before the Vermont legislature would ban the practice in that state, too. Unfortunately the legislation won't pass soon enough (if at all) to keep the Southwestern Vermont Education Association from stealing valuable education time from the children of the district.
The students and the public are the real victims of this labor dispute.
Students should have an absolute right to an education uninterrupted by adult financial disputes. No state should allow the education of children to be used as leverage during labor negotiations. Teachers are hired to teach, and they should be in the classroom at the assigned dates and times. If they refuse, state law should allow school boards to replace them.
Meanwhile, residents have no way of judging for themselves who's right and who's wrong in the contract dispute. Local news reports have told residents that a strike has been looming, and list the main issues as salary, insurance and control over the daily school schedule.
But there's no specific mention of the teachers' demands and how much they would cost. And there's no mention of the financial condition of the school district and how much more it can afford in terms of labor expenses. "Neither side has been sharing many details about their proposals or counter-proposals," said Neal Goswami, a staff reporter for the Bennington Banner who has been covering the situation.
The school board and the union are negotiating with the public's money, but the public is essentially told to mind its own business. Sadly that's the case in many public school districts across the nation.
A typical American public school spends at least 70 percent of its total budget on labor costs, due to high-pressure union collective bargaining. Our guess is that the Southwestern Vermont district can't afford much more in labor costs at the moment.
According to Goswami, the district is in decent financial shape, but has been trying to keep taxes in check for local property owners, many of whom are undoubtedly struggling in the current economy.
The only other choice would be to risk a budget deficit, which is not an acceptable option at all.
"The board is probably trying to make sure they don't have to increase taxes to meet (the union's) demands," Goswami said.
Here's what we know Fortunately, the school board was decent enough to post a recent fact-finding report on the district web site. The report outlines the general proposals from the two sides, and it's clear the union wants way too much, considering the tough economic circumstances that public schools are experiencing.
The school board has offered a salary package that would involve annual raises for teachers of $750 per year, but would freeze automatic, annual "step" raises. The step raises increase the district's payroll between 2-5 percent each year, which "exceed(s) the rate of inflation and are out of step with the current economic climate," according to the school board.
The board's proposal would increase costs for the district by an estimated 1.4 percent. That's a manageable amount, considering the budget constraints plaguing most districts.
The union wants a giant 4 percent raise for every teacher for three consecutive years. The union's overall request would increase annual salary costs by a whopping 5.8 percent, according to the fact-finder.
Unfortunately the fact-finder report does not translate into real dollars. But as the fact-finder noted, "the association's 5.8 percent proposal appears to be overly generous in the current economic climate."
Meanwhile, the board wants union members to increase their contribution for health insurance from 15 to 20 percent of the cost of premiums. That seems very reasonable, considering the skyrocketing cost of health insurance, and the fact that most employees in the private sector contribute at least 20 percent.
Non-union employees in the district are already paying 20 percent, and as the board pointed out, Vermont's Commissioner of Education "has sent a directive that the minimum (employee) insurance premium contribution should be 20 percent."
The union rejected the idea of paying more for health coverage, which is a selfish position considering current costs. The fact-finder recommended incremental increases in employee contributions over the life of the contract.
Teachers unions must face facts. The nation is mired in a deep economic recession, which has dramatically slowed the flow of tax revenues. That means everyone in publiceducation must sacrifice a little bit to make ends meet, preserve jobs, and most importantly, make sure the needs of students are met without interruption.
That's certainly not happening right now in the Southwestern Vermont Supervisory Union school district.
Comment on this story, by email comment@newsblaze.com
The report on channel 13 made the case that parents were scrambling to find what do with their kids while they were at work......now isn't that and oxymoron
1. 2 people work to pay those said teacher salaries via taxes 2. making point that school is daycare?
maybe in mamby pamby land the teachers will have a new contract.....it's not like they DIDN'T have one......
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...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
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