By Hector Flores
John Gallagher, president of the EMTA, said, ³I¹ve sent a letter to the board and sent them a list of days that we are available, and hope that it coincides with their schedules, and hopefully in the next couple of weeks we will be back at the negotiating table.²
Leon Campo, the district¹s deputy superintendent, said that the district had received Gallagher¹s letter, and called it ³a positive turn of events.²
³We have responded with great enthusiasm,² Campo said. ³We would like to resume collective bargaining.²
Campo said that the teachers¹ union, district officials and Board of Education members will meet on May 30 at 3:30 p.m. at the district¹s administrative building at the Salisbury Facility. There the parties will flesh out a schedule for further negotiations.
Marcy Levinson, a district teacher and East Meadow resident, was happy to know that negotiations would resume. ³I¹m very glad to hear that, because I think that it is not productive for the community to have such a difficult and uncomfortable atmosphere,² she said. ³I sincerely hope that going back to the table will signify a positive and renewed effort to find common ground to negotiate a contract.²
News of renewed talks came a week after the release of a fact-finder¹s report and recommendations. The teachers¹ union asked to go into fact-finding after negotiations broke down in November, when the teachers¹ union rejected the district¹s three-year contract offer. The process called for both sides to list six specific issues, including salaries, that had stalled contract talks. After the sides presented their points, the fact-finder issued his recommendations, which are not binding.
The points raised by the teachers¹ union were:
n The schedule of salary increases; a modification of teachers¹ salary schedules from 36 steps to 30, which would shorten the amount of time it takes a teacher to reach maximum pay; and employer contributions to members¹ 403(b) annuity accounts (or extra savings or investment account).
n Family dental insurance coverage.
n Sick leave accumulation to 403(b)¹s at time of retirement. The district currently pays teachers extra not to use their accumulated sick days the closer they get to retirement. The district pays up to 170 days, the value of the unused days, to encourage excellent attendence records. Once the teachers retire they turn in their days for payment. The union is asking not to be taxed, but the district is asking in return that teachers give a minimum of seven months notice before their retirement for the payments to be tax deferred.
n Teacher observation and evaluation.
n Binding arbitration, which allows for a third party to settle a contract dispute. However, district officials believe that this would only hurt local taxpayers because arbitrators would make recommendations or grant requests that could lead to higher taxes.
n Teacher representation on district school committees.
The fact-finder offered the following:
The fact-finder presiding over the proceedings, Dr. Theodore Lang, made the following recommendations on the teachers¹ points:
n A salary increase schedule of 3.2 percent in year one, 3.3 percent in year two, 3.4 percent in year three and 3.4 percent in year four. Lang added that the parties could consider adding a fifth-year increase of 3.5 percent. On salary schedule compression, he recommended that effective September 2004, salary schedules be changed from 36 steps to 33. Regarding employer contribution to annuity accounts, Lang suggested that the teachers withdraw this request.
n He also recommended that teachers withdraw their request for family dental insurance coverage.
n Regarding accumulation of sick leave to 403(b)¹s, the fact-finder recommended that the teachers concede to the district¹s proposal, which includes prior notice of intent to retire.
n Regarding teacher observation and evaluation, it was recommended that ³All formal observations shall include notice to the teacher before the day of the observation session, the observation and a post-observation conference, followed by a written observation report. The written observation report will be given to the teacher within 10 school days after the post-observation conference. However, formal observations are not the exclusive contribution to evaluating a teacher.²
n Lang recommended that teachers withdraw their proposal on binding arbitration.
n He also recommended that they withdraw their proposal on teacher representation on district school committees.
The points raised by the district were:
n An increase in teachers¹ contributions to health insurance premiums from 15 percent to 25 percent.
n A minimum service requirement for health insurance coverage beyond retirement. Currently, teachers only need to work five years to have life time health coverage. The district wants a longer service requirement. They ask that requirements for life time health coverage be changed to seven years of service. In addition, the district is asking teachers to contribute more into their health premium while they are employed. These premiums would decrease at the time of retirement.
n Restrictions on child-care leaves. The district is asking that teachers¹ leaves of absense and returns be limited to September and August. This would prevent class disturbances and allow children to work with one teacher throughout the school year.
n Restrictions on borrowed sick days. Currently, teachers without accumulated sick days can borrow up to 24 days from the district. Some teachers, however, may carry the days over to the next school year, which allows them to gain additional sick days without returning to work. This, the district says, can lead to abuse.
n Extra help for elementary students prior to the start of the school day (from 8:15 to 8:50 a.m.).
The fact-finder offered the following:
n ³Effective Sept. 1, in addition to the payment of 15 percent premium, each employee will pay $240 toward the increased cost of health insurance, and the district will continue to pay 85 percent of the cost of health insurance for retirees.²
n Lang recommended that the district withdraw its proposal for a minimum service requirement for health insurance beyond retirement.
n He suggested that leaves of absences for child care be concluded on Sept. 1, and that they not exceed two years.
n He recommended that teachers whose sick leave bank contained only borrowed days not receive the full complement of 12 sick days until the teacher has returned to work for a minimum of three days at the beginning of the school year.
n Regarding extra help for elementary students, Lang said that this should be left to the teacher¹s ³self-directed professional judgment.²
Gallagher said that although the fact-finder¹s report is not binding, it could still be referred to during negotiations.
Campo explained that if the teachers¹ union had not requested renegotiations, the next step in the collective bargaining process would have been ³super conciliation.² ³[The Public Employment Relations Board] would send in an independent party to work with both sides to try and reach a new contractual agreement,² Campo said.
He added that the district would have welcomed super conciliation, but, like fact-finding, it is not binding, and is just one part of the collective bargaining process.
Comments about this story? HFlores@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 283.
