One local’s journey to bargaining

Springfield NEA has jumped through every hoop imaginable since May 2007 when the school board denied the local’s request for recognition as the exclusive representative for Springfield teachers.

After a year and a half struggle and enough ups and downs to make even the most avid roller coaster lover ill, Springfield NEA will finally get the opportunity to hold an election for exclusive representation.

Nov. 10 marked the most significant win in the local’s long and tumultuous journey to collective bargaining since the Supreme Court reaffirmed bargaining rights for public employees, including teachers, in May 2007. The school district’s teachers voted that day to elect an exclusive representative rather than subscribe to a multiple representative bargaining team model that includes representation from all teacher organizations (Missouri State Teachers Association’s proposal) or no representative at all.

“SNEA has executed a powerful One Voice for Real Change campaign in the interest of the district’s teachers,” says MNEA President Chris Guinther. “It’s taken an enormous amount of time and dedication in the push for progress. I applaud SNEA members for their impressive work. I know SNEA has the experience, expertise and commitment to represent the more than 1,700 teachers in reaching a collective bargaining agreement with the district. They have proven they have the patience, skill and desire to get the job done.”

More than a year ago, SNEA presented 1,143 teacher signatures to the Springfield School Board calling for an election to choose an exclusive bargaining representative. The majority of school board members did not believe teachers deserved the same right to exclusive representation given to nurses, maintenance personnel and custodians working in the Springfield school district. After months of school board policy maneuvers, SNEA and the district went to court to resolve the issue.

On Sept. 10, the Greene County Circuit Court agreed with the school board that teachers could be treated differently than other Springfield public school employees. The court determined that the Springfield teachers would be required to hold two elections—one to decide if they would have exclusive representation, multiple representation or no representation and the second election to choose who would represent them during collective bargaining.

“Going in, I think the most difficult part of this process was trying to craft an election campaign within the confines of an election policy that was incredibly hard to understand—a strange hybrid process that begins with teachers holding an election to determine what kind of election they should hold,” explains SNEA President Ray Smith. “The board’s casual disregard exhibited in approving this nonsensical policy actually helped galvanize teacher support for exclusive representation.”

Going through a process like this one puts a local through some extraordinary challenges, but along with that struggle comes understanding and strength.

“I learned that we have a lot of very intelligent teachers in Springfield who understand the difference between factual content and posturing, whether it comes from the other organization or district officials,” Smith says. “I also learned that an active local association board and building representative network are the backbone of a strong local. Our SNEA board members are amazing individuals who taught all day and contributed nightly to all our efforts, providing great leadership for our local.”

“I’ve been impressed with the number of volunteers who have signed up for phone banking and observing the vote, and who are willing to speak with others one on one,” says Sharon Matti, MNEA UniServ director for SNEA. “Members realize that something has to be done to create change in the relationship between administration and teachers. Members realize that one voice and a stronger voice through collective bargaining can bring about change in this district.”

A good communications system is key to any local affiliate’s success, and SNEA’s story illustrates the importance of how a constant communication system can help keep local members together in campaigning for a cause.

“You have to keep the members informed of all that’s happening, including behavior of school board members, administrators and other organizations,” says Smith, who has kept a steady and detailed blog since the process began in the spring of 2007. “We give regular e-mail updates to all members and more detailed updates to our leaders and building reps. In addition, the SNEA blog is an integral part of our local communication with over 22,400 hits. We speak a little more freely off district e-mail.”

Matti says the process has strengthened communication between SNEA and the administration.

“Ray had daily communication with administrators and continued to develop good working relationships with the human resources department,” she says.

“However, the relationship with the board has been strained due to the fact that the board adopted this convoluted process in the first place. The board members seem irritated by the fact they have to continually deal with this election. We do have friends on the board, however, which serves as a good reminder of the importance of SNEA’s continued involvement in school board elections.”

Following the Nov. 10 win, SNEA members breathed a short victory sigh before revving up for another uphill ride on the collective bargaining coaster.

“We now have the election that we originally asked for with 1,143 teacher signatures a year ago,” Matti says. “We have to keep our eye on the ball and keep our message clear and consistent.”

When the campaign first began, Smith says he was apprehensive about annoying people with his constant requests for help.

“If I had known how well they would respond when asked to contribute, we might have been a little more active earlier,” he says. “It has been amazing to walk into buildings and be greeted by teachers who are totally pumped about this election—teachers who have never attended a meeting or carried a petition. Teachers have told me that they’ve never been prouder to be SNEA members, never prouder to be teachers.”

Although members’ commitment grew stronger during the process, Smith expected some criticism from the community. He was pleasantly surprised, however, with the support from the media.

“The local newspaper coverage has been excellent,” he says. “They were highly critical of district leadership for stalling the election process last spring and issued a strongly worded editorial that the superintendent thought I wrote.”

The local is now preparing for the election to determine who will be the exclusive representative for Springfield teachers. Smith anticipates a January election.

For more information on SNEA’s journey to bargaining, visit SNEA President Ray Smith’s blog at http://snea.blogspot.com.

by Debra Angstead, MNEA communications director

sb, winter '09