Ypsilanti teachers union calls for mediator in talks with district
The Ypsilanti Education Association has requested a state mediator’s help to jumpstart stalled contract negotiations between the union and the Ypsilanti Public School District.
Kelly Powers, president of the union which represents the district's teachers, said the YEA offered a plan that included significant, cost-saving retirement incentives when the two sides previously met, but the district said that offer was illegal at Wednesday’s negotiations.
Kelly Powers
“We are obviously way far apart on what we can agree on, so we hope with mediation we can come up with something that is palatable for both sides,” she said.
The district had originally asked the teachers to take a 3-percent pay cut, but the union countered with a three-year buyout plan it says would save the district more money.
Powers said a Michigan Education Association financial expert estimated the union’s plan would save the district roughly $1 million initially. In the plan, teachers with more experience and higher salaries would take buyouts over a three-year period, preventing pay cuts for those earning less money.
Ray Davis, a lawyer for the Thrun law firm who is the district’s chief negotiator, declined to comment on the negotiation’s specifics, but said the district is “very open” to the mediation process. He says it's the best route to go if it makes the teachers comfortable in the negotiating process.
“We want to act as problem solvers and we want them to be in that mode, too,” he said. “If they are going to be in that mode in mediation, then we're pleased that’s how it’s being done.”
The call for mediation came one day before the district lays out a plan aimed at trimming $6.8 million from the its budget by the start of the next school year.
Further complicating the process are union elections scheduled for mid-April, which Powers says preclude negotiating for next year’s contracts because new representatives could be at the table.
The district and union are also waiting to hear on decisions on several plans at the state level that affect teachers’ health care and retirement benefits.
“These are such challenging times, so it’s hard to read the indicators as far as where things are going to be in six months,” Davis said. “I think both parties take that into account.”
Comments
snapshot
Fri, Mar 19, 2010 : 9:36 p.m.
No more buyouts!!!! These people need to get a clue.Every dollar they refuse to give up, and every dollar they get, comes from the taxpayer, and the taxpayers are suffering. Buyouts are not an entitlement, ahould not be offerred to people already eligible for retirement. These unions are stealing the taxpayer blind and our elected officials are not only letting them do it, they encourage it. Lay off the least senior folks and work the butts off the retirement eligible folks and you'll see how fast they retire. Then re hire the young teachers that were layed off. No extra money for these people, either they work or retire. Let them look the young teachers in the eye when they are losing their jobs because these retirment eligible hanger on'ers are taking their jobs. Talk about a welfare program. No unwed mother ever had it so sweet at taxpayer expense.
ronn oneal
Fri, Mar 19, 2010 : 3:48 a.m.
aaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I live on fordlake and I missed the fire fighter's doing a work out? wow! I wold have loved to take my dog and Gran-son to the bank of the lake to enjoy them doing training on ice rescue.
jns131
Thu, Mar 18, 2010 : 7:11 p.m.
What they are proposing here is something that would save everyone's jobs. Buyout the higher priced teachers and give the lesser paid teachers a break by not having their salaries cut. Something I keep saying Ann Arbor needs to really take a look at besides privatizing everyone else. The other concern is this. If they do privatize? What is to say Ann Arbor won't privatize the teachers next? Charters have non union teachers. Just a thought folks. Sounds like Ypsi is going to do what Ann Arbor is planning, non union teachers and save themselves a whole lotta money. The upper crust needs to take a pay cut themselves.
stunhsif
Thu, Mar 18, 2010 : 7:08 p.m.
nothing new here at all. Ypsi schools soon to be almost 7 million in the hole and the union wants to offer"cadillac" buyouts to the highest cost teachers. Oh yeah, this is going to solve their problems.
Forest City
Thu, Mar 18, 2010 : 1:38 p.m.
I think the unions would rather have positions cut, which would hurt students, rather than have everyone's pay cut. Sad, when you think about it.
scooter dog
Thu, Mar 18, 2010 : 1:01 p.m.
I think a 20% across the board pay cut and 50% co-pay on health Ins, like most everyone else who makes the big bucks has taken just for starters.Gonna be lotsa teachers looking for work this fall with detroit closing 50 plus schools so if the yea don't like the pill then they can take a hike and the schools can pick through the laid off ones and get the best ones available.Sounds pretty simple to me,why hire someone to figure that out.
newspaperreader
Thu, Mar 18, 2010 : 12:07 p.m.
I thought that Ypsilanti Schools had a financial crisis. Why then is the Board hiring an attorney as their mouthpiece? The attorney's interest is only to get billable hours. The district has many highly paid administrators who should be able to handle the task, if not replace them or the Board should do the job themselves. Anytime in the past Ypsilanti's Board has hired an attorney to negotiate for them, the process has become a crisis. I wonder why. It will take two equally unhappy parties to get a settlment this time.
tredd
Thu, Mar 18, 2010 : 6:49 a.m.
As long as there is money somewhere we won't see any progress in Ypsi or AA or Saline school districts. Why don't we save everyone the stress for the next 6-8 months and just do nothing, wait until the money runs totally out, and then go about doing something. It's not that I don't enjoy the angst, but it gets a little tiring. Off to work for me, hopefully for you too, and if you don't have a job at the moment I hope this mess turns around for us all and you find work soon.