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Back
to the Table in Ogden!
Thanks in
large part to a consistent message from members the hard work of Ogden Education
Association (OEA) leadership, Ogden educators will b e back at the bargaining
table soon.
In a
letter to all Ogden City School District employees, newly appointed Supt. Brad
Smith said the District and OEA “will engage in interest‐based
negotiations for the 2012‐13
school year.” In addition, he said the District and OEA bargaining teams “will
immediately explore and shortly commence joint training in interest-based
negotiations.”
“The
news…that we would be ret urning to collective bargaining and recognized as the
bargaining agent represents a huge win for OEA members and an outstanding reason
to be a member,” said Ogden-Weber UniServ Director Rick Palmer. Because OEA
represents “a substantial majority” (more than 70 percent) of Ogden’s educators,
Supt. Smith agreed that “OEA is the appropriate bargaining agent for these
negotiations.”
Earlier
this year, the OEA and the Ogden City School District Board of Education
declared impasse on negotiations for the 2010-11 school year. With no contract
in place, the Board elected to issue a unilateral contract for teachers for the
2011-12 school year. Teachers were given the ultimatum to sign the contract into
which they had no input and that they did not understand or their position would
be posted f or hire.
“All
along OEA members told us they wanted two things,” said UEA President Sharon
Gallagher-Fishbaugh. “First, they wanted to keep their jobs, and second, they
wanted to get back to the (bargaining) table.
My thanks go to the all the OEA leaders and members who put in countless hours
of service and to all those around the state who worked so hard in support of
Ogden teachers.”
According
to Gallagher-Fishbaugh, the resolution to this issue speaks to the importance of
UEA membership. “Teachers are bargaining again in Ogden because of the strength
of the membership there. Would the Ogden Board and superi ntendent would have
recognized bargaining with the OEA if their membership were 60 or 50 percent? No
way,” she said.
From the
moment UEA staff and leaders learned of Board’s actions, they began working on
solutions for Ogden’s teachers. Legal teams from the UEA and NEA considered
alternatives to what was described as a “perfect storm” of events leading to the
situation.
“In
consultation with NEA, the UEA legal team considered many alternatives,” said
UEA Legal Counsel Tracey Watson. “Ultimately we determined pursuing legal action
right away was not in the best interest of the teachers.” Watson explained the
legal i mplications in an
email to all members Aug.
31.
Nearly 1,000 people gathered in Ogden’s Liberty Park
July 14 to support Ogden teachers in their fight
against the Ogden Board of Education’s decision to not negotiate a contract with
its teachers.
Ogden teachers
were joined at the rally by colleagues from across the state who came to support
their fellow teachers. Members of several other public and private employee
unions, legislators, school board members from other districts, administrators,
and Ogden parents also stood alongside educators to support the rights of
employees to co llectively bargain.
“We have
seen the strength of the NEA and the UEA in the fight for public education
across the nation and especially here in Utah,” said Palmer. “Our OEA leadership
has worked hard this summer and this is a huge win for all of our members. Now,
let us show how united we can be as we move into this new era of building
relationships and communication.” |
