Finally, Some Meat on the Bones.

I don’t know how it happened, but it did:  The Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education decided to lay its cards on the table about the status of labor negotiations with the teachers’ union, the Bridgewater-Raritan Education Association. 

Officials of the Bridgewater-Raritan Education
Association at the March 27, 2012 BR-BOE
Meeting in at the Wade Administration Building
in Martinsville.  (Bergeron Image)

It is a watershed moment.  Not in recent memory can I recall that the BR-BOE has ever done this.  Nor has the BREA.  Although there have been press releases from both parties and informative interviews with the media, much of the information provided has been piecemeal and incomplete.

The Board’s current disclosure of its own view of the situation was released on May 10^th in the form of “Frequently Asked Questions”.  This document has opened up a new line of communication with the public that I hope will continue. 

Up until this release, only the board and the union have been in the loop with full information.  Yet, it is the public that pays the bill.
 
 In some ways, this release by the Board of Education’s Negotiating Team resembles that of a position paper.  I wonder who will blink first – the board or the union.

There is a great deal of other information and conditions contained in the board’s FAQ document posted on its website; but, in this blog post, I will confine my comments to the salary issue.  More to come later on.

A refresher:  The last three-year contract with the teachers’ union ended in June, 2011.  Teachers have been working with no contract ever since. 

However, on June 30^th of last year, when the BREA had just come off that three-year agreement which provided for a 4.2%, 4.25%, and 4.35% increase, respectively, its members had benefited from a total increase of 12.8%.

Those wage increases occurred while other workers were suffering under layoffs, flat salaries, and wage/benefit concessions during a disastrous economic period that is generally acknowledged as the worst financial setback since The Great Depression.

Current Status:  According to the document released by the board, the BREA is asking for a three-year salary hike of 8.55%, or 2.85% for each of three years, including 2.85% retroactively for the current school year which ends on June 30^th, 2012. 

Board Member Jill Gladstone, shown taking in
the comments of a speaker during the open
portion of the March 27, 2012 board meeting in
Martinsville.  (Bergeron Image)

The BR-BOE is offering the teachers’ union a three-year wage hike of 5%; or 1%, 2%, and 2%, respectively over a three-year period.  The 1% is retroactive for the school year that is about to end.

Six-Year Summary:  My assessment below shows the results of analyzing these data holistically by combining the expired three-year contract with the next, proposed three-year wage agreement.  The outcome is a contiguous six-year view:

The Education Association’s Offer:  Should the BREA prevail with its request for a new three-year wage agreement of 8.55%, it will – in combination with the previous contract of 12.85% – have successfully negotiated a total six-year wage package of 21.35%.

The Board of Education’s Offer:  On the other hand, should the BR-BOE prevail in its offer of a new three-year wage agreement of 5%, it will – in combination with the previous contract of 12.8% -- have successfully negotiated a total six-year agreement of 17.8%.  Not such a bad deal.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the sunny days to come.