Acknowledgement of Fiscal Reality Needed in Teachers’ Negotiations
by Kim Servin,
February 10, 2011, page 3

The CSSU/teacher negotiations reflect an unpleasant reality for municipal governments across the country: resources are constrained, tax revenues are down, and spending is being cut. In Chittenden County voters have made it clear that tax increases are not an option. If contract negotiations are to be successful, there needs to be an acknowledgement of fiscal reality, a healthy exchange of views and a sense of reasonableness if there is any hope of reaching a successful outcome.
The Teachers’ Association’s positions reflect a sense of denial of the financial reality facing our towns. Their behavior in walking out of a meeting on January 20, 2011, while in the midst of a discussion of the economic factors at work, was, in the kindest of words, unreasonable.
Here are the facts:
• The CSSU Negotiation Team and the Teachers’ Association agreed that individual teachers would increase their contributions to their health insurance from 12% to 13%, but the teachers rejected how this would occur, insisting that increases should start in February versus being retroactive to January 1, 2011.  They also refused an increase in their contribution to 15% in year two;
• The CSSU Board Negotiation Team has agreed to granting an expansion of severance pay to make it available to all teachers;
• The CSSU Negotiation Team has agreed to mandatory salary increases of 2% “new money” for the current year and 3% for the 2011-2012 school year. The Teachers’ Association rejected this and demanded increases amounting to 3% total new money in the first year;
• The teachers insist that mandatory pay increases should continue in the absence of a working contract.
In Vermont, health insurance premiums increased 11% on average in 2011. Premiums have more than doubled over the last 10 years.  “Great health coverage” in this state typically requires the employees to pay 50% of premiums. Asking teachers to contribute 15% (year two) instead of 13% of premiums is, frankly, generously outside of the context of the market.
The CSSU Board continues to act in good faith and also confronts the ugly reality of cutting programs to make ends meet.  The Teachers’ Association’s position reflects a sense of entitlement that holds hostage our schools, non-union teacher colleagues and our children. It was encouraging to see them come back to the negotiating table on January 31, but the time has come to settle on a contract.
We hail our teachers for the work that they do. Let’s also demand from them a proper, respectful, realistic response to the realities that we all face in our jobs, our homes and our schools. 
A copy of this letter was sent to 100 e-mail addresses of parents in Charlotte; 54 responded in support, or 54% of total letters sent. While not scientific, it is statistically significant. Parents responded with their own stories of pay cuts and increases in their health care costs. One parent wrote, “We pay 32.5% of our healthcare premiums. We would be overjoyed with having to pay only 12-13%.  That is our reality.” Another expressed, “I have always supported teachers for the wonderful work they do. . . but everyone must make sacrifices. Townspeople are not denying the value of teachers; they simply cannot afford to pay more taxes.” These responses signal clearly that many parents in our community feel that it is time for teachers to agree to terms.

Kim Servin