Support Winooski Teachers!

Teachers in Winooski, members of the Vermont NEA, have now entered their third year without a negotiated contract. The 2008-2009 school year ended with imposed working conditions by the school board. In August, the school board voted to impose working conditions again for the 2009-2010 school year and now teachers enter the 2010-2011 school year with no negotiated contract.

RALLY AT SCHOOL BOARD MEETING:
The Winooski Education Association is holding rally before the next School Board meeting starting at 6pm, Weds, September 8th.

OTHER WAYS TO HELP:Please help reach out to folks you know who live in Winooski for their help and to contact their school board members at: http://www.winooski.k12.vt.us/207610102012231707/site/default.asp
Contact James Haslam at james [at] workerscenter.org if you would like to learn how you can help.

BACKGROUND:
The Winooski School Board is the ONLY school board in Vermont history to impose working conditions for two consecutive years. The board did so after only meeting with the union four times in the last year. After the fact finding impasse proceedings, the board waited exactly 30 days - the bare minimum number of days required by law - to impose working conditions.

The Winooski Education Association has yet to receive final wording of the 2009-2010 working conditions, but they are expected to include increasing the teachers' health insurance co-pay to 15% (almost all other Chittenden County teachers pay 10%), minimal new money (less than 1.5% total new money) for salary increases for teachers in 2009-2010 school year, and removal of the step movement process. Teachers will be frozen at their current salary for the 2010-2011 school year and actually take home less pay due to the increase in health insurance co-pay and increases to their state retirement contribution. Step movement is a common contract provision in EVERY teacher contract in the state. It is not an "automatic raise." Instead it reflects previous bargaining between both sides to plan out increases for teachers as they increase their successful years of experience at the school.

Winooski teachers are the lowest paid teachers in Chittenden County and work with arguably the highest needs student population because of the large number of English language learning students and refugee population.

Last week, Winooski community members and VWC members joined the teachers for morning informational pickets before school started and at an emergency school board meeting. There was a huge amount of community support demonstrated by supporters beeping and waving as they drove past the pickets which lined both sides of the street.

Teachers simply want the board to return to the table to negotiate a fair settlement. They are keeping all of their legal options on the table, which include a labor strike. Teachers are scheduled to vote on a strike on September 7th.

MORE: "Winooski School Board Makes History: First Vermont Board to Impose Working Conditions for 2 Straight Years"
http://vtnea.org/winooski_protests_2nd_straight_imposition/imposition.aspx

More info also at www.vtnea.org.