Missouri Supreme Court Gives Teachers Bargaining Rights
Court Decision Upholds Constitution, SNEA Requests Recognition
Yesterday, the Missouri Supreme Court upheld the section of the state constitution that gives public employees, including teachers, collective bargaining rights with their employers. This historic ruling supports Article 1, Section 29 of the Missouri Constitution, which says that "employees shall have the right to organize and bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing."Springfield NEA held a press conference this morning to announce the decision. A letter was sent to school board president, Kris Callen, requesting that SNEA be recognized as the exclusive representative in negotiations regarding terms and conditions of employment.
Dr. Ridder held a news conference at 1:30 today to discuss the decision and its impact on the Springfield school district.
Here are some links to more information:
MNEA News Release: http://www.mnea.org/news/releases/news_Supreme%20Court%20Decision.htm
Statements from MNEA President, Greg Jung: http://www.mnea.org/news/supreme%20court_jung.htm
Background Information: http://www.mnea.org/news/Ind_SupremeCourt.htm
Supreme Court Opinion: http://www.courts.mo.gov/Courts/PubOpinions.nsf/0f87ea4ac0ad4c0186256405005d3b8e/a50e0fb89690ff22862572e600500d0d?OpenDocument
Much more on this later . . .
posted by RSmith @ 1:50 PM
5 comments
5 Comments:
Ray, What does this really mean. What can the Governor or Legislature do if anything to block this Constitutional Right. I have heard he would take measures to make sure teachers would never have this right.
It seems strange that the powers that be want to get guidance from our legislature and governor. Why can't they be proactive, and use this as a opportunity to work with education employees. Collective Bargining works both ways. Yes we get to negotiate, but this way everything is out on the table. Both administrators and employees know what is expected with each other. There is no questions, everything has been agreed upon, and creates no hard feeling on the part of any party.
They can enact legislation that would be a poor implementation of this decision (to tilt more power to management), or a constitutional amendment could be proposed through a petition campaign. The governor is adamantly opposed to this and will try to paint this as something that will increase taxes and cause teacher strikes - he may link it to gay marriage, who knows?
The truth is . . . teachers and other education employees are asking for a chance to play a larger role in the decision-making process in our district. With our input, we hope to provide improved educational opportunities for our students.
We have a good relationship with the board and administration and look forward to working with them on this.
It will be interesting to see how the collective bargaining issue plays out. The governor is already bemoaning "activist judges" and doing his part to create fear and mistrust about tax increases.
Let's be clear - it is not activism on the part of the Missouri Supreme Court to interpret the state constitution. That's their role in our system of checks and balances - the governor's dad taught social studies, so he should know this.
The constitution states unequivocally that "employees shall have the right to organize and bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing". The decision is, in fact, a rather conservative interpretation.
The governor raises the tax issue as a red herring intended to somehow sway public opinion against collective bargaining. He seems to discount the fact that local communities freely and independently set their own tax levies through local elections.
I've heard from several teachers who are very excited about this decision and where it may lead us. But I also know there are many questions and a certain degree of apprehension, as well.
We are mindful that the school board and school administration have made some very favorable decisions that demonstrate a high regard for teacher/employee issues. Salaries took a nice jump, health insurance deductibles were lowered, the board voted for the restoration of full dental benefits, wellness benefits increased.
I take all this as a good indicator that we can do even more through a respectful and cooperative collective bargaining process. Issues like class size, instructional time, SIP Days, professional development requirements, transfer policy, sick leave, attendance policy, extra duties, stipends and out-sourcing could all be on the table for discussion.
The current committee structure has worked well enough in some instances, but the structure and make-up of committees tends to change with the seasons. A little continuity would go a long way toward providing a better climate for decision-making and sound improvements in our school system.
It seems to me that teachers appreciate being included in the dialogue btwn the administration and the board. This dialogue has been especially positive and productive in the last year.Our whole system will be strengthened by inviting educators to the decision making table and giving them an actual voice along with a vote that counts.
One of the issues I would put out there for scrutiny and discussion is the value and validity of high-stakes testing in the classroom. We hear so much about accountability. My colleagues are accountable on a daily basis and I wonder if the rest of the community realizes that it is the full funding of the federal mandates behind the NCLB act that is accountability at its most basic.
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