Proposed anti-bargaining bill discriminates
against teachers
In bills recently filed by Rep. Kevin Wilson and Sen. Robert
Mayer, teachers would be denied the right to choose an exclusive
bargaining representative – a right afforded to every
other employee in both the public and private sector. The
Missouri State Teachers Association urged Rep. Wilson and
Sen. Mayer to file the bills in its continuing effort to dilute
the voice of teachers in the collective bargaining process.
In a historic decision in May 2007, the Missouri Supreme
Court restored the right of all public employees (including
teachers) to bargain collectively with employers. The ruling
provides that employees shall have the right to organize and
bargain collectively through a representative of their own
choosing.
“We are pleased that Rep. Wilson is supportive of allowing
the expert voice of teachers at the decision making table,”
says Chris Guinther, Missouri NEA president. “This bill,
however, discriminates against teachers by treating them differently,
denying them their right to select a single exclusive representative.
The bargaining process, if effective, requires a unified employee
voice. Piecing a bargaining team together from various groups
builds a communications gap into the process and leaves teachers
scrambling for a cohesive voice.”
Wilson’s version of the bargaining process would force
teachers to form a representative council, which would make
reaching agreement within the employee group nearly impossible.
More importantly, the bill fails to provide a ratification
step for teachers in the agreement process. Once the “council”
reaches an agreement, the teachers represented by the council
do not get to vote to approve or reject the agreement. This
bill would make collective bargaining a more difficult and
less effective process for teachers than for other employees,
and it leaves them once again with fewer rights than other
public employees.
Of the 35 states where teachers bargain collectively, no
state uses a process similar to the one Rep. Wilson is recommending.
The bargaining model that has proven effective over time in
state after state is the exclusive representation model.
“Wilson has been influenced by MSTA, an organization
that fought against collective bargaining for years and filed
a brief urging the Court to deny teachers a voice in the collective
bargaining process,” Guinther says. “We believe
House
Bill 2030, filed by Rep. Jenee` Lowe, and Senate
Bill 1115, filed by Sen. Joan Bray, will treat all employees
affected by the Court decision fairly.”
Lowe’s and Bray’s bills were built on consensus
among public employee groups, including teachers.
“Missouri NEA believes every child has the basic right
to attend a great public school, and nothing should dilute
the voice of teachers in how that is accomplished,”
Guinther says.
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 National Education Association.
For further information:
DeeAnn Aull
(573) 634-3202
February 2008
Other Resources
Map of states with collective
bargaining for teachers
What should a bargaining law look
like?
Supreme Court Decision
Upholds State Constitution,
Helps Strengthen Schools
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