Bayless Teachers Union Presses Board on Bargaining Policy

At the Board of Education meeting Wednesday evening, leaders of the teachers union at Bayless, asked the board to reconsider the details of board policy HH, which governs negotiations over teacher pay and benefits.

“The teachers, represented by the (Bayless Education Assocation), had no input into the process put forth in the policy,” BEA President Gina McCullough told the board. “The BEA’s goal is to achieve a collectively bargained agreement that legally binds the district to commitments for the time period stipulated by the agreement.”

On Thursday, however, the board informed the BEA that they would not be changing policy HH this year, and that negotiations would need to take place under the current policy.

“While the board isn’t in a position to change the policy, it certainly doesn’t mean that we can’t go about addressing issues as we have in the past, to resolve things that get in the way of teaching the kids,” said Bayless Superintendent Maureen Clancy-May in an interview.

The BEA’s complaint with the district’s bargaining policy stems partly from language giving the board power to modify salary and benefit agreements in cases of financial hardship—not unlikely given looming state budget cuts. The union would prefer a stronger contract and bargained agreements that would last for several years.

“In this district we see frequent change in the members of our school board, and in our teaching staff as well. One group will bargain something, and two or three years later what was worked for is lost because the new group doesn’t know how or why it occurred,” McCullough said in an interview. “We would prefer to see language that the contract is binding for the length of the contract.”

Also in dispute is the style of negotiations. In the past Bayless has used ‘interest-based bargaining,’ which brings both parties together with unbiased facilitators for a round table style negotiation. The method comes with specific rules that both parties must be trained in. McCullough said the BEA would prefer to establish the rules and method of bargaining with the district at the start of negotiations.

“We just don’t feel like there has been a successful history of (interest-based bargaining) at all,” said McCullough, who teaches for the district’s gifted program and has been president of the Bayless teachers’ union for five years.

Clancy-May, however, said that Bayless’s bargaining procedure is supported by the Missouri National Education Association (MNEA).

“It’s one of many processes that are out there, but it is one touted by the MNEA,” Clancy-May said. “Actually it’s had a very successful history at Bayless. In the years in which we used interest-based bargaining, we were under better economic times and were able to offer some of the highest salary increases to teachers that this district has ever seen. And we accomplished several non-salary related items as well.”

The BEA presented the school board several examples of bargaining procedures at other districts, including Affton, Parkway and Lindbergh. Affton and Parkway both provide only guidelines to approaching negotiations, and few specific rules. Lindbergh’s policy contains language similar to the Bayless policy, but with stronger provisions supporting a legally binding and multi-year contract.

“Basically all of our neighbors have a bargained agreement,” McCullough said.

Bayless begins its spring break this week, and the BEA has its next sit-down with the administration on March 28.

“We are going to insist that if we stick with the policy, they have to train us at the district's expense,” McCullough said after the school board’s decision not to change policy HH. “We will also insist that there be impartial facilitators there, also at the district’s expense.”

McCullough noted that Clancy-May offered to train the BEA representatives in interest-based bargaining, but she said the union did not think that would be appropriate.

“We are just starting the process,” Clancy-May said. “I really have confidence that we will listen. We hear issues year round.”

Bayless policy HH requires that negotiations for the 2011-2012 school year’s salary and benefits agreement finished no later than June 1. McCullough said the BEA will likely work to have the policy changed next year.