Jun 30, 2008 10:56 pm US/Eastern
Teacher's Union Enlists Support From United Way
Teachers Demanding Raises That Were In Their Contracts
School District Doesn't Have The Money
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
After a frustrating meeting with members of the Miami Dade School Board over the weekend, teachers are looking to the United Way for support in their fight for a contractually agreed upon pay increase.
Members of the United Teachers of Dade plan rallied support and protested the school district's actions in front of the Hilton Hotel where the United Way of Miami-Dade is holding their annual board meeting and breakfast.
UTD member Fredrick Ingram says he understands that there is less money coming from Tallahassee, but the districts solution shouldn't involve cutting teacher's pay.
"They are choosing to cut salaries, they can choose to cut programs, the can choose to cut other things that don't directly affect people," said Ingram.
"We're like everyone else," said Dr. Gail Tucker, "we have mortgages and our car is ten years and we may have to buy a new one. We stopped having two cars 5 years ago."
Sunday tempers flared during a five hour meeting at the negotiating table as union members fought for pay increases that were supposed to go into effect on Tuesday. Last week Miami Dade Schools Superintendent Rudy Crew sent the union a letter informing them that teacher pay increases would be frozen in an effort to save the district more than $70 million.
Faced with a quarter million budget deficit for the 2008-2009 year, School Board members have approved a number of changes and the elimination 2-thousand positions in an effort to come up with a balanced budget.
During the last meeting on Wednesday, June 25th, the School Board determined that even with the job cuts and changes they've proposed the funding provided by the state would still be inadequate to support district operations for the 2008-2009 fiscal year.
According to a statement by the Miami Dade Public School system:
This action allowed the Superintendent to re-open salary negotiations with all bargaining units. At the same Board meeting, union members demanded to re-open negotiations immediately. As a result, the Superintendent sent letters and notified bargaining unit leaders by telephone that the District is now available to begin negotiations. The District's bargaining team is ready to begin negotiations and is planning to meet as early as Sunday, June 29, 2008. The District has completed the analysis of all cost-saving suggestions provided by the unions and is prepared to discuss this information in detail with the unions.
"This is legal trickery and beyond the Superintendent's authority. Crew and his accomplices can spin it, they can call it a freeze, a cut, a renegotiation - we call it for what it is -- theft." said UTD President Karen Aronowitz.
Sunday's meeting left many teachers more confused than informed.
"We're just in awe, because we were in here, and it doesn't seem like anyone has a concrete answer for us yet," said teacher Felicia Lewis.
Blood pressure and disagreement went up on both sides during the entire session.
"We are here to find solutions. They want to characterize this as 'the district has the money they're withholding from us,' we don't have the money because we never got the money from Tallahassee," said Ofelia San Pedro from Miami-Dade Public Schools.
San Pedro also said the impending budget problems have had an effect on administrators like herself.
"Well, we've cut our salaries. What they're not thinking is that we went to a board meeting, and we all took a furlough. We all gave up days of pay. So, we have cut our salaries. I cut my salary five days. I also gave up my vehicle that was a benefit the district gave me."
Superintendent Rudy Crew was not at the public meeting on Sunday.
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