CEA contract ratified

MAT-SU -- The Mat-

anuska-Susitna Borough School District and the Classified Employee Association have come to an agreement on a contract for the 2004-2005 school year.

It's a compromise CEA president Ron Rucker said he thought only months ago would have to come through an arbitration report.

"When we started, we couldn't even agree on meeting dates and times, let alone talk," Rucker said.

According to Rucker, things changed once CEA realized the district's negotiation philosophy was to return to its first contract offer -- not the last best offer -- if the contract needed arbitration. CEA officials agreed that if arbitration was necessary, the association would agree to go back to the district's first offer. With that agreement in place, both sides were free to offer contract ideas that they would not be held to if an arbitrator was called in.

In the end, that understanding helped CEA and the district reach an agreeable contract without any outside help.

"I think it is a good compromise, and the process that led to it was positive," Rucker said. "The fact we have a contract before the school year and the current contract ends is a huge plus."

Chief school administrator Bob Doyle agreed.

"I thought it went really well, everybody deserves a fair and decent wage," Doyle said. "We're doing the best we can with what we've got."

Some of the highlights of the one-year contract include a 2-percent salary increase, a $1.50 raise for warehouse delivery drivers and a provision that allows qualified Management Information System programmers to be hired at a higher pay, instead of at the bottom of the pay scale. Those already at the top of the pay scale will receive a $1,500 longevity payment, an increase of $500 over this year. The district also agreed to pay the same amount for insurance as the teachers received in their recent contract.

"We're not in the same plan, so the out-of-pocket will be a little more, but not a significant difference," Rucker said.

The school board ratified the contract at its May 19 meeting. Rucker said the only major issue as yet unsettled was Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which is a contract holiday for teachers but not for CEA employees. The district and CEA will have to come an agreement some time this next school year on how to deal with the holiday -- this school year, 12-month CEA employees were allowed to work or take leave, less than 12-month employees were allowed to take leave or leave without pay. Rucker said he believes that during next year's negotiations the issue will be permanently resolved, and that it's possible the next contract will be for more than one year.

"I feel really good about this and the possibility of a great deal [in the future]," Rucker said.

Doyle said he hopes the positive outcome of this year's negotiations will result in a longer contract next year for CEA, as well as other district employee unions.

"It's a short-term contract," said Doyle. "Now our goal is to sit down and figure out how to have some longer-term contracts [next year]."

Contact Jen Ransom at jen.ransom@frontiersman.com.