Have you heard? Its Colorados top news story today... Contact: Sheila Atwell, Executive Director JeffCo Students First Phone: 303-619-4488 E-Mail: [email protected] For Immediate Release: Union Stops Open Negotiations in Jeffco Lakewood, CO— For the second time in five years the Jefferson County Education Association (JCEA) has declared an impasse in negotiations, which essentially closes negotiations that they requested be open. The union contract states that in case of an impasse, a mediator will need to be selected to help the parties reach a voluntary agreement. “The mediator/fact-finder will have authority to hold hearings, make procedural rules, and set the dates and times for meetings, which will be conducted in closed sessions.” From Article 5 of the JCEA contract. JCEA is a local affiliate of the Colorado Education Association, the states largest teachers union. After contentious discussions over employee leave days for association business, as well as the issue of PERA contributions, JCEA requested a short break and upon returning declared that they could not make progress on any issues and officially declared an impasse. “It is disappointing the union does not seem to really want increased transparency. We hope the JCEA comes back to the bargaining table and honors the commitment they made to open negotiations”, said Sheila Atwell, Executive Director of JeffCo Students First. According to talking points the union distributed to its members ahead of the meeting, one of the sticking points appeared to be the idea that the district would be “charging” employees for PERA contributions rather than having taxpayers pick up all of the retirement increases. This idea fails to take into account that State law requires SAED PERA contributions come from “money otherwise available for compensation increases.” In 2014-15 that SAED portion will equal $15.5 million. These are dollars that should be allocated to PERA before any other compensation increases are considered. “We hope the union will recognize State law requires them to pick up at least part of the $15.5 million in SAED PERA payments and that this money can be used to reduce class sizes and meet the higher achievement goals set by the board”, said Atwell. The school districts collective bargaining contract with JCEA stipulates that regular negotiations should be held in open sessions “unless both parties agree to the contrary.” Open negotiations occurred in Jeffco in 2014 for the first time in recent memory. The next regular school board meeting will be held Thursday, May 6. The email for the Jeffco board is [email protected]. JeffCo Students First is a non-profit, non-partisan foundation dedicated to informing parents and the community about academic achievement and education spending in Jefferson County with the ultimate goal that all students in JeffCo have the opportunity to attend an exceptionally high-performing school. dol.gov/olms/regs/compliance/cba/public/cbrp_6041_pub.pdf https://copera.org/pdf/5/5-123.pdf
Posted on: Tue, 08 Apr 2014 16:26:27 +0000
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