Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for November 16, 2005 TRICO SET TO STRIKE ON MONDAY

Remember when we launched our mid-November strike? Remember when we heard on the first day that the District was going to "shut 'er down" until after Christmas...and we laughed? (For you newbies...to make a long story short...we spent New Year's Day at Shawnee College negotiating a final settlement!) Let's hope that Trico doesn't have to relive THAT "experience".

From the Southern Illinoisan...

Trico teacher strike set for Monday

BY CHRISTI MATHIS
FOR THE SOUTHERN

CAMPBELL HILL - Unless something unexpected happens, Trico School District won't be in session next Monday as teachers will be walking the picket line.

Talks between the board and Trico Education Association broke down again Nov. 8. Monday morning, the board and Superintendent Dennis Smith received a letter from the TEA stating that the union initiated the last two negotiation sessions in hopes of resolving the issues or to at least make progress but that didn't occur.

So, according to the letter, the union is announcing with "great regret but with determination of purpose" that there will be cessation of classes at Trico prior to the normal school hours on Monday with the stoppage continuing until a contract agreement is reached.

The letter from TEA President Lori Hill said the union continues to welcome more negotiations and talks in hopes of reaching a settlement. Hill declined to provide additional information Monday.

"The board is fearful that the needs of our 950 students that we have at Trico are not being put first," School Board President Brian Chapman said. "The board has made every attempt to engage the union in meaningful health insurance negotiations while trying to do what's best for the financial health and future of our school.

"The board thought we already had an agreement with them not to strike this year if we did not make any changes to their insurance but that obviously is no longer in effect," Chapman added, calling the strike announcement a surprise.

"The board will be doing everything it can to avoid a strike and reach a contract settlement," he said.

The TEA filed an intent to strike notice in mid-October and could have gone on strike 10 days later, on Oct. 21. However, the teachers asked to return to the bargaining table without the presence of a federal mediator or other attorneys or outside parties. The board agreed and both sides expressed hopefulness after five hours of talks.

The next week was a different story. And now, a strike date has been set.

The board has announced that procedural memos will be sent to parents and school staff in the event of a strike. Chapman said the memos will likely go out today. During a strike, no extracurricular activities or practices would be held and it is anticipated support staff would also likely not be employed in most positions.

From the beginning, employee health insurance has been the divisive issue in the talks. The union and board have offered differing opinions about what has been done by each party regarding making concessions on the insurance.

The previous teachers' contract provides for the district to pay for employee and family health insurance. The benefit had been in their contract since the 1980s, when it was negotiated instead of bigger salary increases for teachers. The district has had financial problems in recent years and the board wants to change the Blue Cross/Blue Shield insurance in some way to reduce the costs. The current annual cost is $737,383 for the district.

Although the board and union say they want to avoid a strike and are willing to resume talks, no meeting dates have been set and planning is under way for a strike.

The district's scheduled Thanksgiving vacation begins with early dismissal next Wednesday and continues through the following weekend. The TEA represents 64 full and part-time employees. The previous contract expired Aug.15, the day before classes resumed.