REA Negotiations Update: May 8, 2012

Reynolds School District has heard that the Reynolds Education Association will be taking a strike authorization vote on May 8, 2012 at a 4:15 pm meeting.

At the April 27, 2012 mediation session, the District proposed returning to current contract language on the issues of preparation time, use of unsigned complaints and the continuance clause. The District compromised on these items because the Association said these were amongst the most important to their members.

Over the proposed 3-year contract, the District also offered a $100 per month increase to medical insurance, $50 more per month in the 2012-13 school year and another $50 per month in 2013-14. At this rate of $1000 per month for medical insurance per teacher, costs would increase to $12,000 per year per teacher.

The details of the proposals exchanged are attached.

The parties are scheduled to meet again on May 10, 2012 from 9am to 3pm. The Reynolds School Board is committed to meeting with or without the mediator to resolve our differences within the 30-day cooling off period, which ends on May 19, 2012.

If the Association moves forward with a 10-day notice of intent to strike, the school board will schedule a meeting to approve a strike plan.

The Association appears to be considering a strike based on the terms of their current contract, because the Reynolds School Board has not voted to implement any changes to the current contract. The current contract will remain in effect until a new agreement has been reached. The Board continues to bargain in hope of settling upon a new contract within the 30-day cooling off period.