Efforts to reach agreement between the Morgan Hill Unified
School District and two of its employee groups during the latest
rounds of mediation were unsuccessful, according to district
officials and employee representatives.
Morgan Hill – Efforts to reach agreement between the Morgan Hill Unified School District and two of its employee groups during the latest rounds of mediation were unsuccessful, according to district officials and employee representatives.
The district and the Morgan Hill Federation of Teachers (MHFT) have been working with a mediator to try to resolve a grievance filed by the teachers’ union about the number of students in middle school and high school classrooms.
The Service Employees International Union Local 251 (SEIU) has held two mediation sessions with district officials in an attempt to resolve a contract dispute over raises for the 2006-07 school year.
“The mediator has been very helpful in furthering our discussions,” said MHUSD School Board President Peter Mandel, talking about negotiations with the SEIU. “I am hopeful that the next mediation will help bring this to a mutually acceptable conclusion.”
The SEIU, which represents the district’s classified employees, and the district will meet again on April 27.
Classified workers want an agreement reached during mediation. If mediation fails, the California Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) would conduct a “fact-finding” to see if both sides are accurate. The school board could also step in and settle the dispute. Workers could strike at that point.
“The mediator has asked us not to comment about what is going on during our meetings, but I am hopeful we can come to an agreement during our next session,” said SEIU Chairwoman Pam Torrisi.
MHFT representatives have been meeting with district representatives to try to resolve a dispute over compensation for secondary school teachers whose class sizes exceed the negotiated number of students. Different classes have different numbers of students, because at the secondary level, students have choices in which classes they take. The maximum number agreed to in the contract between the district and MHFT is 35 students.
“We were in mediation about five and a half hours on March 23, and it was an unacceptable offer, so its going to move to the board level now,” MHFT President Donna Foster said. “This is something we’ve been trying to resolve since September.”
MHUSD Assistant Superintendent Jay Totter said the elementary school class size maximum issue was resolved within the first 20 days of the school year. But because of the complex nature of the schedules at secondary schools, he said, the class size maximum issue is “not an unusual one, it just needs to be resolved.”
Mandel said he has asked for clarification on the board’s role in the next step in the process.
“The board is now getting up to date on how to proceed with the attempt to resolve the issue,” he said.
