Canton Observer for September 9, 1982 - Canton Public Library

MEA surprised at school strikes
By 8uzi« Rollins 8ing«r
staff writer
Teachers from more than 200 Michigan
school districts were without contracts
when school starts today.
"We're going to start this year with
about 250 districts unsettled, and we
usually begin school with 200 districts
unsettled," said Keith Geiger, Michigan
Education Association president.
"We were surprised at the number of
strikes before Labor Day. I guess we
underestimated the school boards' desire
to write bad contract language,"
he said.
MICHIGAN HAS 529 Michigan
school districts. But by pure coincidence,
more contracts expired this
year than last year, Geiger said.
"There's no excuse for any district
not to be settled by Labor Day," Geiger
added.
"They can have marathon bargaining
sessions all weekend to reach
agreements," he added.
Teachers in Southfield and Troy
struck Tuesday.
West Bloomfield teachers were out
Thursday and Friday but reached
agreement over the weekend. Only one
class day was lost. It was the first settlement
in Oakland County.
Geiger said teachers aren't interest-
ed in strikes, but in several districts the
school boards are forcing them onto
picket lines.
"If there was ever a time when
school employees aren't interested in s
strikes —J it's now," he said. "But some
boards just don't want to settle.
They're lleading poverty or trying to
take awiy things that aren't necessary."
GEIGER POINTED to school
boards' tactics of using the state's poor
economic times to "gut non-economic
issues." He said that in out-of-formula
districts (those which receive no state
aid), school boards are asking for what
the unioh calls unreasonable conces-
sions
"One issue is academic freedom.
Now the boards have the right to decide
which textbooks should be used,
but not how to teach, and that's what
they're after," he said.
Furthermore, Geiger said many
school boards are hoping to change the
senority-based transfer and layoff system
and transfer or layoff people as
building principals see fit.
NON-ECONOMIC issues appear to
be more important this year than economics,
Geiger said.
For example, the West Bloomfield
settlement provides for "job sharing,"
in which two teachers voluntarily can
share a full-time job.
'em — Headlee
Pointing out that public employee strikes are illegal, Richard
Headlee, Republican candidate for governor, said striking school
teacher^ should either return to the classrooms or be replaced.
Headlee said, "No contract, no work may be OK in the competitive
priVate sector, but in the public sector where civil servants
have a fjublic trust, our children must come first."
Headlee called the strikes a bad example for teachers to set for
young people.
"Public employee strikes are illegal and a particularly bad example
for teachers to set for young people," Headlee said. "Public
service is an honor and a duty. Public employees know the rules
when t^ey are hired. Public employees who withhold services
should Either return to work or be replaced. Anarchy is not acceptable."
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"Teachers are only looking for a 6-8percent
salary increase," he added.
Some teachers in in-formula districts
are asking for one-year contracts, or
for multi-year contracts that can be reopened
after one year for salary adjustments,
Geiger said.
Each districts negotiate separately.
A few years ago, there was a movement
for regional bargaining, but that's
illegal in Michigan, he said.
"The only way it's legal is if boards
of education agree to bargain at the
same table. But I think boards resist
that idea because they're afraid of
numbers," he said, adding, "we'd be
better off bargaining together because
we'd see a settlement much quicker."
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