Your Team met with District representatives on May 7th in hopes of making progress toward a settlement. It would be inaccurate to say that we were not productive but, unless there are some major changes in proposals, it seems increasingly unlikely that we will be able to reach an agreement before the end of the school year. It should be noted that any tentative agreement must be ratified by MTA membership and the school board. Given the time necessary for this, we are skeptical of leaving on June 10th with a new contract secured.
Your team did deliver an unequivocal declination of the District's compensation offer. Members clearly conveyed their dissatisfaction with this proposal and Your Team continues to believe that this offer was not an accurate representation of the District's budgetary ability nor is it indicative of an intent to honor our efforts and years of loyalty to this community. Our members continue to not only lag behind most of our colleagues in neighboring districts in terms of compensation, we have seen our purchasing power decline year after year during the Great Recession. We hear reports that there are signs of recovery. We read that the State reaps significant and (at least to some) unexpected revenue. We see favorable settlements in other districts. Yet none of these positive factors seem to figure in our bargaining sessions.
Your Team remains hopeful that future sessions reflect a common understanding that ours, like all successful organizations, depends upon its people. Those people can reasonably expect a fair exchange of compensation for their services. We pledge to do our best to secure this understanding. Thank you for your support.
On behalf of Your Team,
Mike Williams
Negotiations Chair
Your team did deliver an unequivocal declination of the District's compensation offer. Members clearly conveyed their dissatisfaction with this proposal and Your Team continues to believe that this offer was not an accurate representation of the District's budgetary ability nor is it indicative of an intent to honor our efforts and years of loyalty to this community. Our members continue to not only lag behind most of our colleagues in neighboring districts in terms of compensation, we have seen our purchasing power decline year after year during the Great Recession. We hear reports that there are signs of recovery. We read that the State reaps significant and (at least to some) unexpected revenue. We see favorable settlements in other districts. Yet none of these positive factors seem to figure in our bargaining sessions.
Your Team remains hopeful that future sessions reflect a common understanding that ours, like all successful organizations, depends upon its people. Those people can reasonably expect a fair exchange of compensation for their services. We pledge to do our best to secure this understanding. Thank you for your support.
On behalf of Your Team,
Mike Williams
Negotiations Chair