Unions, district make another stab at contract talks

MAT-SU -- With just a week before employees are to return to schools, the Mat-Su Borough School District and two of its unions are heading back to the bargaining table.

All sides say the goal will be to settle the contracts before the new school year begins.

Together the Mat-Su Education Association and Classified Employees Association represent around 1,600 district employees who, since the end of June, have been without contracts. The unions and district have been negotiating for nearly 10 months.

This most recent return to the bargaining table is slated for yesterday and today for the CEA and Aug. 21 and 24 for the MSEA. Employees return to Mat-Su schools on Aug. 27 and classes begin Sept. 3.

"As employees we would like to get back to school and not have to worry about negotiations," CEA president Sheila Dickman said. "That's always our hope because … there's nothing more important than starting the school year out right. We are optimistic that the district will decide what's best and get everybody back to school."

The district and the two unions recently went through an independent arbitration process, and both the district and the unions say the reports will provide a framework for this week's discussions.

"It's important both sides are at the table with the intention of reaching a settlement," MSEA vice president Kathy Summers said.

Earlier this year, teachers indicated they would be willing to strike this fall if a contract agreement wasn't reached. While the advisory strike vote gave the union leadership an idea of how members felt at the time, Summers said vacation break complicates the situation.

"We haven't been able to get a pulse on our members over the summer," she said.

For now, though, Summers said the union is also striving to be optimistic.

The district is sending out a similar message.

"The goal is to get this resolved before the school year starts, to work hard to get this done," said Paula Harrison, director of human resources and labor relations for the district. "We're looking forward to a positive start on the school year."

Even as the district works to come to an agreement with its current employees, it is continuing to seek new hires. Harrison said there are a number of unfilled teaching positions in the district, and she is encouraging potential applicants to contact the human resources department, at 125 W. Evergreen Ave. in Palmer.