School Board Considers Public Bargaining

Employee contract negotiations are typically discussed behind closed doors. But the doors could be opened during Orange Unified School District teacher contract talks because of the tension between the teachers union and district officials.

Both sides claim false rumors and accusations are being spread, and both agree the negotiating process should be open so that the public can witness what is happening.

The union contends the district has more money than it is revealing and should raise teacher salaries to the county median. District officials say, however, that they are making the most fiscally sound decision.

“We have nothing to hide, and if that would help facilitate the settlement, we are all for it,” said Linda Davis, school board president.

The board will vote Thursday on a proposal allowing limited open bargaining to observers who are not employed by the district and live in the community. The next bargaining session would be for the 2000-2001 school year. The Orange Unified Education Assn. and district bargaining teams would each choose three people, allowing six observers to attend negotiations at one time. The selection process is still not determined.

In June 1998, the school board requested open negotiations, but the union turned it down because “public negotiations nearly always impedes voluntary settlements,” according to a 1998 union letter.

Although Bill Shanahan, executive director of the union, said he isn’t enthusiastic about the decision, he said the union would agree to the proposal if the observers were trained about the negotiating process.

“Bargaining is a very hard and complicated process,” said Shanahan, who has 30 years of bargaining experience. “The first couple of sessions are just like mysteries [for people who are trained]. With no bargaining training, it’s even worse.”

Representatives from the newly formed Informed Parents Assn. are interested in attending negotiations.

“There is a lot of ‘he said, she said’ going on between the union and the board, and we have done a lot of investigating and there is a lot of untruths out there,” said Kimberlee Nichols, a member of the parents organization. She said the group has representatives at each of the district’s 42 schools. “This will allow less opportunity for that sort of thing to happen.”

The Chapman Hills mother said the organization was established about two months ago specifically because of the prolonged contract problems.

“We were all aware of the state of contract negotiations and we sort of let it slide and we shouldn’t have,” she said. “We are not pro board. We are not pro union. We are there to find the truth and what can be done and can be resolved so we can get on with our children’s education.”

The most recent controversy between the union and district involved the school district imposing a contract March 14 without the union’s consent. The contract omits a previous board demand to buy out teachers’ lifetime health benefits and gives a retroactive 8% raise for the 1998-2000 school years.

As a result of the turmoil, the union has planned a strike next Thursday and Friday. The district scheduled a bargaining meeting with the union Monday morning in hopes that district and union officials can settle their differences and avoid the strike.

*

Marissa Espino can be reached at (714) 966-5879