The San Benito High School Teacher’s Association has reached a
tentative 53-page agreement on a proposed labor contract with the
high school district which, should teachers vote to ratify it this
week, will be voted on later this month.
Hollister – The San Benito High School Teacher’s Association has reached a tentative 53-page agreement on a proposed labor contract with the high school district which, should teachers vote to ratify it this week, will be voted on later this month.
“Some people may have the perception that what happens with this vote will not really affect them,” said Chuck Schallhorn, President of the SBHSTA. “But I believe this is the most important ratification vote of my career.”
An initial agreement between the SBHSTA and the district regarding salary and health care was reached in early December, after three years of unsuccessful bargaining on both sides. After those two major sources of contention were hammered out, negotiations proceeded fairly quickly over the next few weeks and a tentative contract agreement was decided upon Jan. 9.
Although district officials and Board of Trustees members could not be reached for comment Monday, board members will vote on the contract during their Jan. 25 meeting.
“The language didn’t contain any controversial issues,” said Doug Emerson, one of the SBHSTA’s negotiators. “Mostly we were clearing up stuff that needed to be changed. It was just a matter of two groups sitting down and going through the wording together.”
Some of the language in question, according to union representatives, had not been reviewed in more than 20 years. Some of the issues recent negotiations sought to clarify included safety conditions, grievance procedures and leaves.
“The goal was to create a contract with up-to-date language that clearly spelled out the rights and responsibilities of the teachers,” Schallhorn said.
The district’s approximately 140 teachers will be voting to ratify the agreement this Thursday and Friday, to allow enough time for all interested teachers to vote. Union officials will be available this week to answer questions about the proposed contract’s finer points during their prep periods, as well as via email.
“I have every confidence that this will be ratified,” Schallhorn said.
Schallhorn not only believes that teachers will approve of the new contract, but that the Board of Trustees will also ratify the contract when its members vote on it Jan. 25.
“The only reason I could think of (for the board to vote down the proposal) would be if they were under the mistaken impression that they couldn’t afford it,” he said. “But it’s entirely affordable.”
According to the terms of the district’s proposal, tentatively agreed upon by teachers in December, teachers who have been employed since 2004 will receive a salary increase of 2.14 percent for their work dating back to July 1, 2004. On top of that, teachers will receive a 4 percent raise for their work dating back to July 1, 2005. Some teachers, then, are receiving a raise of 6.4 percent – their first raise since the old contract expired three years ago.
In addition, teachers who choose to coach a sports team after class or advise a club will see a 4 percent increase in the salary they receive for that extra duty, also retroactive to July 1, 2005. Teachers who choose to serve as a Class Adviser will receive an additional stipend of $1,292 a year – each class has two advisers who coordinate the student’s fundraising efforts and activities. Those teachers who choose to give up their preparatory period and teach six classes each week will be given a stipend of $6,750 a year, up from $5,700.
A fund totaling $300,000, previously set aside to finance health benefits, will be used to ensure each teacher receives $12,840 in health coverage each year in addition to their salaries. While all teachers are required to participate in a plan through the Self-Insured Schools of California, they need not choose the most expensive one. If a teacher wants a less comprehensive plan, they will receive the difference between the plan and $12,840 in cash. Should $300,000 prove insufficient to cover premium increases until 2007, the district will provide for the rest, according to the proposal.
“What’s really going to be nice is that this contract is something that’s been on everyone’s mind for a long time now,” Emerson said. “And once this is over, teachers can concentrate on what’s going on in the classroom. There’s going to be a big morale boost.”
