Jul 2, 2008

Talks end without settlement

Teachers union nearing strike vote

By Neil Gonzales / Bay Area News Group

State-mediated labor talks between the Belmont-Redwood Shores School District and a teachers union ended late Monday without any settlement, and the two sides will now go into the fact-finding stage - the final step before educators could call for a strike vote.

"We broke down and are prepared to go to fact-finding," said George Metropulos, president of the Belmont-Redwood Shores Faculty Association. "It's like the last resort."

That process involves bringing in a neutral party to review both sides' proposals and determine what salary increase is feasible. The effort could result in a nonbinding recommendation in the fall, Metropulos said.

The 145-member union and the district have been negotiating since September over a pay raise and other concerns.

The union initially sought a 5.7 percent raise but then lowered their proposal to 3 percent, while the district maintained an offer of 1 percent. About three months ago, negotiations stalled, and an impasse was declared. A state mediator was brought in to help move the talks.

The union and district met with the mediator several times before agreeing to enter the fact-finding process, Metropulos said.

If the fact-finding effort doesn't bring resolution, "teachers can choose to strike," said district Superintendent Emerita Orta-Camilleri. "But my hope is we continue to look for ways to find common ground to meet both our interests."

The district proposed a 1 percent pay hike in light of the ongoing statewide school budget cuts, Orta-Camilleri said. The average cost for a new teacher in the district is about $70,000 a year, including salary and benefits.

The union is negotiating for money in the 2007-2008 contract, which expired in June, Metropulos said. Typically, the union has a one-year contract with the district.

Other issues mostly involve language, he said, "but we haven't gotten to that yet because we've been doing the salary negotiations."

The latest setback in the negotiations is "very disappointing," Metropulos said. "Prices have gone up quite a bit in this area - gas and everything. We're not in it for the money, but we would like to feel recognized more financially."