Union employees demonstrate solidarity

MAT-SU -- Several hundred school district employees wearing black, many with T-shirts that read "United, Strong and Proud," crowded into the Mat-Su Borough School Board chambers last week, while hundreds more were represented by their signatures on petitions and letters turned over to the board.

The message again and again: teachers and classified employees are not being paid adequately.

"We wear black tonight to demonstrate our solidarity," said Classified Employees Association president Sheila Dickman. "We need to be included in the budget process."

The administration's budget and contract proposals are, according to the CEA and teachers' union, asking district employees to survive today's financial demands with "yesterday's salaries."

Last month the school district declared its contract talks with the two unions at an impasse. A federal mediator has been called in to assist in both negotiations but is not scheduled to meet with the groups until the first week of April -- after the school board's April 1 deadline for having its budget to the Mat-Su Borough Assembly.

Talks with the CEA were closed to the public by an agreement between the two parties. However, the Mat-Su Education Association negotiations are open.

According to school district officials, the administration has offered a status-quo salary schedule to its teachers, which includes step and column increases that are awarded based on time in the district and hours of professional development. For example, a new teacher would make $32,287 per year. The next year, that same person would earn $33,901 and if the teacher also pursued a certain amount of hours in professional development, that number would increase to $35,515.

Calling the proposal a salary freeze, union representatives say it does not take into account inflation and the increase in the cost of living.

During last week's public hearing on the budget, MSEA president Barbara Morris reiterated her comparison of not funding a cost-of-living increase to not budgeting for annual utility increases.

Around 20 teachers spoke before the board, many reading long lists of names of other teachers who shared their concerns. Many said they felt that, while central administrators publicly claim to value district employees, the budget proposal and contract talks do not reflect that. Others said Mat-Su schools salaries are quickly falling behind other districts in the country.

"I'm just really upset about this budget, just like everyone else in the room," said Peggy Nelson, a special-education assistant at Meadow Lakes Elementary. She said everything from the price of gasoline to the cost of her monthly bills has increased in recent years.

"And my paycheck is not keeping up," she said. "I absolutely love my job but I don't think I can continue working without being compensated." She said she is hoping to work as a flagger for summer construction, which she says would pay two-and-a-half times what she receives as a teacher.

"Where's that work?" someone called from the audience, sparking laughter throughout the crowd.

Again and again, the school board heard from both district newcomers and long-term employees who said they are beginning to look elsewhere for work, outside of the teaching field and outside of the state.

"And not to brag, but I think you're going to lose a good teacher … and it's not just me," Colony High teacher Tom Lincoln told board members. He said many of his colleagues are also typing up their resumes.

"I think that's bad for our community. Unless something is done, we're going to be in a world of hurt," he said.

But the cost of appeasing the employees may be more than the school board is prepared to agree to. District officials say MSEA's proposal would cost an additional $11.9 million, including the 8-percent overall salary increase, the 3-percent cost-of-living increase and other monetary requests the union has made. This does not include the price tag of CEA's request, which is not available to the public.

"I don't know if I can make all 1,600 happy," board member Bob Johnson said in an aside regarding the CEA and MSEA members.

School district spokesperson Kim Floyd pointed out that the board faces a difficult dilemma in the timing of the budget process and contract negotiations.

"There are many things we don't know," she said, including how much the Mat-Su Borough Assembly will agree to give the district and whether or not the Legislature will increase the state's funding of education.

"Some of those things we won't know until the end of the school year," she said.

Floyd said she was impressed by the organization and energy behind last week's union demonstration before the school board.

"… and I hope that energy is also shared with the local and state government," she said.