MSTA sues to block teacher pay raise
In a desperate attempt to cause another “log jam”
in the Wentzville School District’s negotiations for
2008 teacher salaries and other improvements, the Missouri
State Teachers Association (MSTA) filed a lawsuit against
the Wentzville School District and Board of Education. The
lawsuit makes erroneous claims about the board’s right
to decide who should represent the teachers at the bargaining
table. MSTA lost in court today on a motion to immediately
stop the bargaining process in Wentzville.
“MSTA has fought against teachers having collective
bargaining rights for years,” says Chris Guinther, president
of the Missouri National Education Association. “Since
the Missouri Supreme Court’s decision last spring, MSTA
has been doing everything it can to undermine teachers’
rights to choose who will represent them at the bargaining
table.”
Guinther is referring to a May 2007 Missouri Supreme Court
decision, upholding the teacher rights to collective bargaining.
Article 1, section 29 of the Missouri Constitution reads in
part, "employees have the right to bargain through representatives
of their own choosing.”
“They cannot have a free ride anymore,” Guinther
says. “If MSTA ever decides to support collective bargaining,
they’ll have to seek recognition by the school board
and do the hard work of proving to the board that they have
enough support from teachers to be the representative. MSTA
couldn’t do that in Wentzville.”
MSTA and Wentzville National Education Association (WNEA)
had shared representation for years. Prior to the Supreme
Court decision, the school board could decide if
it would negotiate with teachers and who would be
allowed to represent teachers at the table. The Supreme Court
decision changed things by placing the decision about teacher
representation in the hands of teachers.
Since the Supreme Court decision, WNEA has been seeking a
change in the process to reflect true collective bargaining.
Over 550 of the 760 teachers are members of the WNEA. In April,
the Board of Education voted to grant the local NEA unit exclusive
bargaining rights. As the exclusive bargaining representative
WNEA has the responsibility to represent all teachers, including
non-members.
“As a result of good-faith negotiations with the board,
WNEA has accepted responsibility for representing all teachers
in Wentzville, and we have tentative agreements for salary
and working conditions in 2008,” says Lori Roach, MNEA
regional staff working closely with WNEA. “This lawsuit
is an attempt to stop or at least slow down the process, which
should to be completed by May 15th when contracts need to
be finalized.”
“Wentzville needs the proposed salary increase to
attract and retain the best teachers immediately to ensure
the district is competitive during this time when all districts
are hiring,” Guinther adds. “Derailing WNEA’s
successful negotiations should be a concern for Wentzville
parents. This appears to be a self-serving act on MSTA’s
part.”
The 34,000-member MNEA represents teachers,
education support professionals, college faculty, retired
teachers and students studying to be teachers in school districts
and on college campuses throughout the state. It is the Missouri
affiliate of the 3.2 million-member NEA.
For further information:
DeeAnn
Aull
573-634-3202
April 30, 2008
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