Class size is a key sticking point
Still no deal for teachers at Portland Public Schools
By DON McINTOSH
Associate Editor
After marathon mediated bargaining
sessions Nov. 5 and 6, Portland Asso-
ciation of Teachers (PAT) and Portland
Public Schools (PPS) weren’t demon-
strably closer to a deal. The two sides
are undertaking mediator-assisted
“shuttle diplomacy” because PPS re-
fused to continue normal face-to-face
bargaining after Oct. 9.
Day 1 of mediation lasted 15 hours,
and Day 2 was almost 12. In that time,
PPS improved its cost-of-living wage
increase offer, but also spent time intro-
ducing what PAT President Gwen Sul-
livan called “frivolous” proposals, like
wording changes. For example, where
the contract gives the union the right to
post materials in the workplace, PPS
wants to change “teacher bulletin
board” to “designated bulletin board.”
Teachers aren’t going to go on strike
over what to call a bulletin board, but
they may strike if the district moves to
unilaterally impose its overall offer. In
particular, teachers object to a PPS pro-
posal to eliminate a contract clause that
limits work load and class size. Since
bargaining began in April, teachers
have pushed the district to address over-
NOVEMBER 15, 2013
crowded classes, but the district said
legally it doesn’t have to discuss that,
and therefore it won’t. In mediation, the
district offered a new plan: It still wants
to eliminate the limit on workload, but
it proposes to form a committee with
representatives of both sides to develop
a definition of workload — a “collabo-
rative workgroup” that “would exam-
ine all of the elements of workload in-
cluding class size to make proposals
that would best meet student needs.”
Sullivan says the two sides already
had a collaborative work group. The
district ignored its recommendations
when it imposed a high school schedule
that added to teacher workload.
Another key sticking point for
teachers is the district’s insistence that
teachers bear all the economic risk of
health insurance increases. PPS wants
to cap its premium contribution and
have teachers paying 100 percent of the
increase over that amount. Currently
teachers pay 7 percent of whatever the
premium is for family coverage offered
by the district. PPS offered no change
to its health care proposal in mediation.
On the other hand, the district did
improve its pay offer. Previously, it pro-
posed 1 percent annual increases for
four years. Because those cost-of-living
increases wouldn’t keep up with the
cost of living, the union called it a
“takeback.” Now the district is offering
a 2 percent increase delayed to Dec. 16,
2013, followed by 1.5 percent increases
July 1, 2014, and July 1, 2015. The
Portland-area cost of living has risen
7.16 percent since teachers had their
last cost-of-living increase July 1, 2010.
PAT is proposing a two-year contract
with raises of 5.8 and 3.75 percent.
The district, meanwhile, is also pro-
posing to eliminate pay ladders that re-
ward incremental progress toward fur-
ther training. Teachers currently bump
up to a higher pay ladder each time they
earn an additional 15 postgraduate
credits, giving them a one-time pay
boost of about 4.5 percent when they
do so. Under the district’s proposal,
teachers currently in those pay ladders
could continue to climb in them until
they top out after 12 years with the dis-
trict, but in the future, teachers would
no longer bump up to a higher ladder
when they earn 15 and 30 credits.
That’s a big problem for younger and
newer teachers, Sullivan said, because
it removes an incentive for them to con-
tinue their education and get batter at
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
their craft.
PPS bargainers broke off mediation
just before a closed-to-the-public exec-
utive session of the Portland Public
Schools board.
“PPS continued to make meaning-
ful proposals in order to reach a negoti-
ated settlement that is in the best inter-
ests of Portland’s students,” said PPS’
Chief Human Resources Officer Sean
Murray in a midnight press release.
Neither Murray, nor the district’s
$15,000-a-month consultant Yvonne
Deckert, nor PPS superintendent Car-
ole Smith ever appeared at the PPS bar-
gaining table during five months of di-
rect negotiation; instead bargaining was
led by Labor Relations Director Brock
Logan. During mediation, the three
have been present. But they declined a
suggestion by the mediator to meet
face-to-face at the beginning.
The mediator’s schedule was full for
the rest of November, but she said was
available Dec. 2-5. PAT said it could
meet any or all of those days. PPS
agreed to further mediation Dec. 5.
Sullivan said she’s pleased district
leaders didn’t declare impasse after the
latest mediation, though they could still
declare impasse prior to the next one. If
the district does declare impasse, both
sides would have seven days to submit
a final offer, followed by a 30-day cool-
ing off period. At that point, the district
could unilaterally implement its offer
over teachers’ objections with five days
notice, and the union could strike with
10 days notice.
“Teachers are saying, ‘I don’t want
to strike, but it looks like we might have
to,’” Sullivan said. “It’s gonna be up to
them [the district].”
“As they continue this aggressive
stance, it only unites us,” Sullivan said.
On Nov. 3, teachers hand-delivered
to board members and the superintend-
ent copies of a petition; Sullivan says it
was signed by about 95 percent of PAT
members.
“Do not rush to call impasse,” the
petition urged. “Calling for impasse
will force educators to choose between
two unacceptable choices: having a
contract imposed on us or a strike. We
are not seeking a strike. However, the
proposals you have put forth are unac-
ceptable to us. It is for this reason that
we implore you to reconsider your ag-
gressive strategy. If you don’t want a
strike to be on the table, then stay at the
table.”
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