Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for October 14, 1997 Negotiations Update

Bargaining teams for the Cairo Association of Teachers and the Cairo Board of Education will meet at 6:15 p.m. tonight--the fifth such session--to attempt to negotiate a successor agreement.

Whatever optimism held by the Association team was dashed when the Board--once again--failed to fulfill their commitment to deliver a written counterproposal by October 7th. The Association--once again--kept its commitment and delivered its proposal on the agreed upon date. Once the Board "remembered"--or finally completed its proposal--it was delivered on October 8. This slight, unintentional or not, continues to demonstrate the contempt for which they hold the Association. What makes this situation even more obvious--and worse-- THEY PICKED THE DATE !

Another negative is that the proposal which they presented addressed only 2 of the 13 issues to which they were to respond! Adding injury to insult, the Board reneged on issues that were agreed to at the table on September 10.

For this reason, your bargaining team is less than encouraged as we head into tonight's session. However--as always-- WE will try to get things back on track. At some point in time, the Board has to negotiate. It might as well be tonight.

We know that many of you are getting very impatient. Rest assured that your team feels very much the same way. However, we want to demonstrate to one and all--membership and public--that the Association made every effort to negotiate a settlement. IF this process fails, the fault and blame will rest squarely on the shoulders of the Cairo Board of Education.

We will continue to keep you informed every step of the way. YOU will decide what and when other measures need to be taken if the Board continues in its stalling tactics.

We will NOT go through this whole year without a new agreement!