The Tacoma School Board and administration now admit they were wrong when they attempted to punish Tacoma teachers for striking.

The board and administration claimed last week that state law required them to reduce teachers’ next paychecks. Now, after checking with state officials, they admit they were wrong and that they intend to pay teachers appropriately.

Yesterday, the board ratified a new three-year collective bargaining agreement with Tacoma teachers. Members of the Tacoma Education Association ratified the agreement with a 99 percent YES vote last week.

Tacoma teachers won the contract settlement after striking for 10 days. Issues included class sizes, teacher pay and policies regarding teacher transfers.

That didn’t take long, but it’s not much of a surprise.

Tacoma School Board President Kurt Miller and Supt. Art Jarvis are trying to punish Tacoma teachers for going on strike by unjustly withholding money from teachers’ next paychecks. Their action is a violation of the agreement they negotiated with the Tacoma Education Association in Gov. Gregoire’s office Wednesday night. Here is the text of a letter TEA President Andy Coons sent to Miller and Jarvis today:

Sept. 23, 2011

Dear Tacoma School Board President Kurt Miller and Supt. Art Jarvis,

Yesterday afternoon, Tacoma Education Association certificated members approved a new collective bargaining agreement with the Tacoma School District by a vote of 99 percent YES.

After our vote, you publicly declared the need for “healing” and emphasized your “respect” for teachers.

Today, as Tacoma students and teachers returned to the classroom, your words ring hollow in an all-too-familiar way.

Within 90 minutes of the TEA ratification of the new collective bargaining agreement with the Tacoma School District, your human resources emailed all certificated employees and informed them their Oct. 5 paychecks would include pay for only two days’ work. Your administration’s email provided no rationale for this decision, nor any explanation regarding future paychecks.

Despite your public rhetoric about the need for “healing,” your unilateral decision to inflict unnecessary financial harm on TEA members is appalling and in violation of the agreement you and I personally negotiated in Gov. Gregoire’s office earlier this week.

That agreement contains language that protects TEA members from retribution or retaliation by district administrators. Through your decision to reduce our Oct. 5 paychecks, you are doing exactly that to Tacoma teachers.

TEA members’ paychecks are pro-rated throughout the school year, providing Tacoma teachers with reliable, consistent income. Many Tacoma teachers have health-care premiums, mortgages and other ongoing payments deducted directly from their bank accounts. Your unilateral decision to reduce their paychecks jeopardizes both the health and well-being of 2,000 certificated TEA members and their families.

There is absolutely no reason for your administration to discontinue that longstanding practice, even for one payday. According to your own accounting staff, whom I spoke with today, the Oct. 5 paychecks have not been cut, despite your administration’s initial claims they had. Your administration’s claim that paying Tacoma teachers fully on Oct. 5 would somehow constitute a “gift of public funds” is absurd; Tacoma teachers will be working the fully number of days required by our collective bargaining agreement.

I call on you to honor past practice, the new collective bargaining agreement and your own rhetoric: Please direct the Tacoma Public Schools payroll department to issue certificated staff the appropriate prorated paychecks based on the entire school year.

Tacoma teachers have ratified a new contract and returned to work. A critical component of that agreement is the no-harm clause in which you agreed not to retaliate or discriminate against teachers for striking, and we agreed not to discriminate or take reprisal against district administrators. We have upheld our end of the bargain. It is time for your administration to do the same.

Sincerely,
Andy Coons, Tacoma teacher and Tacoma Education Association president

Tacoma kindergarten teacher Krissy Para and baby Cruz were on hand when Tacoma teachers approved a new contract with a 99 percent YES vote.

By an incredible 99 percent YES vote, Tacoma teachers have ratified a new three-year collective bargaining agreement with the Tacoma School Board. The ratification vote ends Tacoma teachers’ 10-day strike, which began Sept. 13.

The final vote was 1,683 YES, 15 NO and three invalid ballots. Classes will resume Friday throughout the Tacoma School District.

Tacoma teachers said the contract is a huge victory for them and their students. School district administrators and the Tacoma School Board proposed increasing class sizes, cutting teacher pay and imposing subjective and potentially discriminatory policies regarding teacher staffing decisions. Unwilling to continue working under an expired contract, and refusing to concede on those issues, 87 percent of Tacoma teachers voted to strike Sept. 12.

“We stood strong, we stood united and we stood for what was right,” said Andy Coons, Tacoma Education Association president. “It hasn’t been easy. It has been a long process. We’ve been on strike for 10 days. We stood up to a Tacoma School Board and central office administration that had lost respect for their teachers.”

Here are the highlights of the new contract:

• Protects existing class-size/caseload limits for all TEA certificated members
• Protects existing salary scheduling; one less building optional day
• Protects current displacement language for this year; committee with equal representation from TEA and administration will study and implement new policy using objective and appropriate criteria in the 2012-13 school year. Any new policy must be approved by two-thirds of the committee members.

“We need to continue to stand up and make sure the Tacoma School Board and our new district administration respect Tacoma teachers and make decisions that are in the best interest of our students,” Coons said.

Students and teachers will make up the strike days via two scheduled snow days, a shortened winter break and adding days to the end of the school year, which will end June 19.

Tacoma teachers and the school board reached a tentative contract agreement after Gov. Chris Gregoire called both sides to her office and personally facilitated negotiations. Last week, Tacoma teachers voted overwhelmingly to continue striking despite a superior court order.

Here is the TEA summary of the new collective bargaining agreement with the Tacoma School Board.

Tacoma teachers have reached a tentative contract agreement with the Tacoma School Board.

Classes in Tacoma are cancelled  Thursday, Sept. 22. Members of the Tacoma Education Association will be meeting at noon at Mount Tahoma High School for a ratification vote. TEA members should not attend their scheduled picket lines, nor should they go to work.

Tacoma teachers have been on strike since Sept. 13.

Tacoma students support their teachers!

Tacoma teachers appreciate the strong show of support from their students and the community.

The Tacoma Education Association Bargaining Team and negotiators for the Tacoma School Board continue to meet in Olympia with Gov. Chris Gregoire. There is nothing new to announce at this point (6:24 pm).

We will post an update as soon as there is news to report.

Negotiators for the Tacoma Education Association and the Tacoma School Board will be meeting with Gov. Chris Gregoire in Olympia this afternoon.

Negotiations earlier today in Tacoma did not produce a settlement. Last night, negotiators for the school district administration walked out on negotiations, even though Tacoma teachers believed a settlement was near.

Tacoma teachers continue to offer proposals involving teacher transfer policies, teacher pay and class sizes. Today is the ninth day Tacoma teachers have been on strike.

Whenever a tentative contract agreement is reached, teachers will meet to take a ratification vote.

Read The News Tribune story describing how Tacoma administration negotiators walked out of contract talks with teachers.

Watch the KOMO TV story, in which a district administrator accuses Tacoma teachers of holding their students “hostage.”

Watch the KIRO TV story.

Listen to Dori Monson on KIRO radio discuss the Tacoma teachers’ strike.

Negotiators for the Tacoma School Board and administration walked out of negotiations last night shortly before 11 pm, even though negotiators for Tacoma teachers believed a settlement was near.

Teachers have said repeatedly the only place a settlement can occur is at the bargaining table, and they were willing to continue negotiating all night if necessary.

Now, at the request of the state mediator, both sides will meet again this morning at 10.

Yesterday, teachers offered several revised contract proposals dealing with issues such as class size, teacher pay and policies for how teachers are assigned.

“I have absolute faith in the Tacoma Education Association Bargaining Team,” said Andy Coons, TEA president. “In their actions and work, they have consistently maintained high professional standards. They are dedicated to negotiating a fair contract that respects teachers and focuses on what’s best for students.”

Tacoma teachers will remain on strike until they have a tentative contract agreement.

Negotiators for the Tacoma School District walked out of negotiations with Tacoma teachers tonight at approximately 10:50 pm. No negotiations are planned for Wednesday, Sept. 21. Administration negotiators had threatened to walk out earlier in the night, but were persuaded to stay by a state mediator. Tonight, Tacoma teachers made two new contract proposals involving pay and teacher assignment policies.

“We were ready to bargain. They weren’t,” said a teacher negotiator. “The administration abruptly cut off negotiations just as we were extremely close to a settlement.”

Tacoma teachers will be on the picket lines Wednesday morning.

Tacoma teachers are on strike. Still.

Here’s a YouTube video showing strong student support for striking Tacoma teachers.

Read this story: “District says it has no plans to replace striking Tacoma teachers”

Watch this KOMO TV story.

The latest Associated Press story.

Tacoma School Board candidates speak out on the strike (even if the current school board members won’t).

St. Leo’s helps out our community’s kids.

Bargaining lasted until after 2 a.m. this morning. Negotiations begin again today around 1 pm; the TEA Bargaining Team is meeting at noon to prepare. We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: The only place a settlement can be reached is at the bargaining table.

Meanwhile, Tacoma teachers are on the picket lines at Giaudrone, Stewart, Baker, Jason Lee and Mason middle schools today.

Tacoma teachers are on strike for the eighth day.