What Do You Mean We’re Having a Strike? Presented by Ron Bennett President & CEO School Services of California, Inc. Sheila Vickers Vice President School Services of California, Inc. Dr. Dale Vigil Superintendent Hayward USD Dr. Sarah Gonzales Board Member Hayward USD

1 A Storm Brewing  Some History and Background  At-The-Table Negotiations  Mediation  Factfinding  The Strike  Settlement  The Aftermath – Lessons Learned

2 Some History and Background  Hayward USD is an urban district in a high-cost area with a very diverse and needy student population  The district had been under severe financial pressure due to declining enrollment, rising costs and limited new revenue during the four years preceding this negotiation  The district had been qualified for nearly four years and operated under the supervision of the County Office of Education and its Fiscal Advisor  The district had been unable to provide competitive salary increases  The budget problems, particularly declining enrollment, continued into the future  Reserves had increased to provide a safety net

3 At-The-Table Negotiations  Things started badly and then got worse  The teachers demanded raises far in excess of new on-going revenues  They viewed the entire reserve, restricted and unrestricted, as being available for salaries  Benefits dollars are included on the salary schedule and costs had risen much more rapidly than salaries  The district renewed contracts and provided salary increases for three administrators – the union increased the amount of their across-the-board salary demand to match the highest individual increase  Meanwhile, tempers flared and emotions were high – and the union never changed its position

4 Mediation  Mediation occurs when either side declares impasse  The mediator was unable to bridge the broad gap between the parties  Agreement was reached only on a couple of minor issues and nothing was signed off pending a complete comprehensive agreement  The gap was still huge  The district offered 3%  The union demanded 16.84%  The district made a variety of offers, but the union never moved  The mediator gave up and certified the parties for factfinding

5 Factfinding  Factfinding is a misnomer – there are no facts and nothing new is ever found!  Both sides presented their cases at the hearing  The district made an “inability to pay” defense – and proved its case  The factfinding report favored the district, but the union dissented  Negotiations continued after the report, but agreement was not reached on the compromise settlement proposed by the factfinding panel  The union was still unwilling to move

6 The Strike  Strike Preparation  Support of the board – determined and communicated  Commitment of staff  Communication with the community  Preparation of a strike plan  Safety and staffing were primary considerations  Superintendent personally led meetings with principals and key administrators  Communications were critical  Especially with principals, parents, and the Board  Everyone wanted to know what to expect

7 The Strike  Operations during the strike  Student safety was a “no fail” test  Emergency substitutes faced intimidation  Principals were key to frontline management of the schools  Loss of revenue was not an issue because the strike was after P-2  But it is very costly in terms of time, energy, and emotions  Schools remained open, though attendance was way down – only 25% attendance  But after ten days, the union still did not compromise on its position

8 Settlement  On the 10 th day of the strike both parties requested help in settling the strike  A senior CTA official came out of retirement to help the union settle  The district was represented by School Services  The union finally was willing to move and the strike was settled that day  The final settlement, very close to the compromise the district had previously offered, was reached in a few hours and teachers returned to work the next day  Both sides ratified within days

9 The Aftermath – Lessons Learned  First, it was clear from the beginning that the union intended to take a job action  They prepared for the strike from the first negotiation session  Meanwhile the district believed settlement was possible and negotiated accordingly  Lack of any movement at all made it clear the union did not want to settle  Planning and communication were critical parts of management’s preparation  Financial options became secondary to operation of the schools and maintaining credibility with the public

10 The Aftermath – Lessons Learned  Support of the board was essential throughout the process  The resolve of the board and superintendent was tested every day in every way  The principals and school site staff were critical to success and needed to be included in all planning – they kept the schools open  In the end, the strike was not fun and we do not recommend that you have one  But even a strike is better than an agreement that will bankrupt the district and penalize generations of students

Notes

Thank you