Greetings, Important Negotiations Update The union’s negotiating team collected feedback from members last winter. Since that time, we have been working from that information to negotiate a contract that will make Minneapolis a district that is professional, appealing, and respectful to current and future employees. We knew, however, that this round of negotiations would be difficult, as the district had made its key goals well known long before we began. In an effort to work through the difficult issues, both sides agreed to a collaborative, problem-solving approach to negotiations. About five months ago, the Union and District negotiating teams met for joint training on the process known as “interest-based” bargaining. Although the process can be slow, it has been producing results. Tentative agreements were reached in a number of areas. However, when we recently began to discuss one of the contentious issues brought forward by the district, the district’s negotiating team decided to take a rigid, adversarial approach. Rather than trying to define the problem(s) and find solutions that met the interests of both sides, the district put its demand on the table and would not entertain any discussion of our alternative proposals. The district’s chief negotiator, Emma Hixson, told us that the district was no longer going to use the “interest-based” approach and wanted to follow the traditional, confrontational, approach known as positional bargaining. We expressed our great disappointment to the district leadership and urged them to resume the interest-based bargaining. Unfortunately, at last Thursday’s scheduled negotiations meeting, the district’s team made it clear that they were committed to the oppositional approach. The district’s team refused to sit down and talk directly with us. We do not object to the district pursuing what it sees as its interests. The union’s negotiating team has been and continues to be committed to working aggressively on the members’ behalf. We believe that in meeting the interests of teachers we best meet the needs of students. However, the union is committed to approaching negotiations in a respectful, professional manner. The district’s oppositional stance suggests they see us simply as employees to be dictated to, rather than respected, professional partners with which to cooperate and trust. We are scheduled to meet with the district’s team again September 27th. While the district’s decision to abandon the problem-solving approach may necessitate changing the date of the next meeting, negotiations will continue. A discussion of the issues on the table will be presented at the next stewards/membership meeting on September 26th. Additionally, written updates will be sent to members as events occur. Finally, while we are greatly disappointed by the actions of the district, our negotiating team stands ready to move forward with negotiations and reach a positive resolution, regardless of the format. In Solidarity, |