The MEA NewsBlog

On October 13th, 2010, a quorum of over 100 MEA members voted to ratify a negotiated settlement agreement for a new two-year contract that will go into effect July 1, 2011.  On Tuesday, October 19th, the Madison Board of Education also voted to approve this negotiated settlement.  The contract reflects a 0.9 percent increase in salary in the contract’s first year with no step advances. In the second year of the agreement, there is a total wage increase of 2.8 percent which includes step movement. For details on this contract, including changes to insurance benefits, please see your building rep.

At Wednesday night’s mediation, the MEA’s and the Board of Education’s negotiations teams reached a settlement on our next collective bargaining agreement. We will be holding a district-wide meeting next Wednesday, October 13 in the Polson auditorium at 3:45 to go over the details of the new contract and to vote on its ratification.  We realize that this is not the most convenient time for some of our members, yet it is the only time that will allow all of our members to attend this vital meeting. Please make every effort to attend; your voice and your vote are critical elements in this process.

Many people have asked members of the Negotiations Team why they can’t see any of the details of the new contract prior to next Wednesday’s meeting. We talked about this very issue at the end of Wednesday night’s mediation to remind ourselves of what has always been the most sensible way of handling this part of the process. I fully appreciate where people are coming from when they ask to have some information before the ratification meeting, but sharing any details about the settlement agreement before the meeting could compromise the vote. More specifically, our concern is that, if we give our members a preview of what’s in the new contract without its proper context, the people who view it positively may be less likely to attend the meeting, while those who view it negatively will be more likely to attend to cast their ‘nay’ votes. Therefore, the only way to ensure maximum, meaningful participation is to wait until the actual meeting to go over the details. We will be putting the proposed agreement in its proper context so that our members are fully informed and will thoroughly discuss all questions and concerns regarding the negotiations process. I realize that this puts people who have limited time in an inconvenient position, but for this critical stage there are no alternatives. So again, we encourage our members to make every effort to attend.

For more information about the negotiations process and where we are in its timeline, click here.

The New Haven Federation of Teachers voted in favor of a new four-year contract that aims to jump-start comprehensive school reform.  Of 1700 union members, the teachers vote 842-39 in favor of what some are calling “a first-of-its-kind strategic education plan” but what others have their doubts about.

In addition to opening the door to sweeping reforms, the contract features an average 3 percent annual raise and a .5 percent annual increase in contributions to medical benefits.  The full contract can be found in this Education Week article.