Wichita teachers strongly reject union contract offer from district
Wichita school district teachers voted overwhelmingly to reject a union contract agreement with USD 259 over concerns about lack of salary increases, teacher workload and building safety in the pandemic, the union announced Friday.
Teachers voted 85% no on the collective bargaining agreement. In all, 79% of teachers in the bargaining unit represented by the United Teachers of Wichita voted. All teachers are eligible to vote on the union contract, regardless of whether or not they are union members.
Representatives from USD 259 and the union will both return to negotiations.
The previous contract expired at the end of July. Without a new agreement, the old one remains in place. Teachers are not able to strike and not planning to do so, said Gabriel Costilla, vice president of the UTW.
In the past 30 years, UTW has only rejected a contract offer from the district twice, Costilla said. This year, negotiations were initially delayed, but began in August. Last month, the parties required a federal mediator after they reached an impasse and did not agree on compensation.
“Remember, a no vote is just the first step,” a post on the union’s Facebook page read. “In order to convince the BOE to truly support teachers, we’re going to need to come together like never before.”
Union staff referred to the district’s proposal as “abysmal.” The Wichita Board of Education did not offer salary increases to about a third of teachers, according to the union, which contended the offer was disrespectful as teachers “work harder than we have ever worked before in the midst of a global pandemic that puts our mental and physical health on the line.”
“The District has the utmost respect for teachers and deeply value the hard work they do to educate our students during these very difficult times,” said Susan Arensman, district spokesperson. “The pandemic has caused our staff to work differently in more stressful and challenging circumstances. The BOE has a long track record of honoring teachers and staff members with compensation when funding has been available.”
The compensation package that the BOE offered was a 1.41% increase, Arensman said.
“The District put forth a wage package that is sustainable given the current uncertainty around the pandemic, future enrollment and future funding,” Arensman added.
The lack of salary increases doesn’t account for cost of living changes, Costilla said. The union typically expects to see every teacher receive a cost of living increase each year. Costilla said it was clear in negotiations that the district has the money to offer those increases, despite any negative budget impacts related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“That was a pretty big shock to a lot of our teachers,” Costilla said. “But it’s not just about salary, it’s the incredible workload our teachers are under, whether they’re remote or in person. They’re working crazy hours to find innovative ways to meet student needs.”
The union recommended teachers vote no on the contract, citing lack of recognition of health and safety risks to teachers with no salary increases. They also said teachers feel “Frustration and indignation at being the last consideration for the BOE as they conduct their business,” union staff told teachers in an email this week. Voting began Tuesday and ended at noon Friday.
If the district offers cost of living increases for teachers, Costilla said they might accept the contract. However, a growing workload in the remote learning environment and concerns about COVID-19 safety in school buildings also have teachers worried, he added.
Many teachers would like the option to work from home if they are teaching remotely, Costilla said, as opposed to in the school building. The union also wants in-person teachers to be able to work from home if they need to quarantine, instead of using up sick leave. They’ve been working with the district to find solutions for this and have made some progress, but policies could depend upon a building principal, Costilla said.
When teachers approve a new contract, it will be retroactive to August and will likely last one year. Arensman, with the district, said it will continue to work through the negotiation process.
Teachers’ unions have been in the spotlight across the country during the coronavirus pandemic. Many called on districts to take additional safety precautions for teachers and students, and some threatened strikes.
Moving forward, UTW is looking for ways teachers can join together in collective action. Teachers want the Wichita community to know why they’re seeking contract changes and hope to persuade the BOE to return to the bargaining table with a contract teachers are more likely to accept, the union said.
“My hope is that they come back quickly with a better offer, so we can move forward and do the work we need to do,” Costilla said.
This story was originally published November 13, 2020 at 2:22 PM.
CORRECTION: All teachers are eligible to vote on the union contract, regardless of whether or not they are union members. An earlier version of this story was unclear on that point.
