Olympia union votes to ratify; newspaper scooped

Move over, old media. Today at 4:45 the Olympia Education Association voted overwhelmingly in favor of approving the district's latest contract offer. By a 175-27 vote, the OEA chose to accept a compensation compromise adding 9 hours of optional time and twelve hours of staff development over two years, among a raft of additional changes.

David Johnston, union president and member of the bargaining team, announced the results, clearly glad to end the impasse. If the union had voted against the proposal, Johnston said he would ask for the formation of a new bargaining team and "fresh ideas."

After a brief question-and-answer period, union members filed down out of the Olympia High School bleachers to collect and turn in their ballots, as Johnston stood at the microphone waiting for anyone to speak for or against the proposal.

This teacher successfully graded fifteen final exams as the discussion and voting took place, and then cast his ballot in favor.

Details of some of the contract changes are available below.

1. Special Education Bargaining Committee and OT/PT/SLP Bargaining Committee to meet in 2006-7 to recommend bargaining language changes.

2. Nurses given language allowing right to call a meeting should their working conditions be of serious concern.

3. Teacher-Librarians given a new official designation, allowed to call for a meeting to discuss building budget concerns. Meaning of FTE toward teacher-librarian changed.

4. Language in the contract ensuring that any and all materials placed in employee's building and permanent file will include employee signature.

5. RIF changes

* Language to improve communication channels so it is clear, consistent, and updated centrally.
* Adds District experience for seniority.
* Now includes all endorsement areas for consideration during RIF
* Vastly increased role for employee in choosing available positions with full knowledge of all positions available (RIF / Seniority list open, updated annually)
* RIF'd employees able to use emergency leave for out-of-district interviews, as well as personal days including the last week of school

6. A change would take place in the way sick leave accrues. (I missed this part, since it was just added today.)

7. Compensation / Staff Development Changes

* For this past year, retroactively applied: no additional compensation.
* For the next contract year: 6 hours of staff development and 6 hours of optional time.
* For the year after that: 6 more hours of staff development combined with the other six for two added calendar days, and 3 more hours of optional time.
* Midwinter break would be reduced to accommodate the new days so we wouldn't have to work further into the summer. Spring Break likely moved to the first week of April.
* Teachers would no longer have to fill out timeslips to earn their optional time. Instead, the union would decide how those hours would be apportioned--all at one time, month by month, whatever.

The new staff development days would be a mixture of Building and District offerings, attendance, as always, at the employee's discretion.

Update: Not only did I scoop The Olympian by five minutes (after having to drive home to blog), but I've got the details The Olympian wants you to wait for. Take that!