The teachers union in Gilroy has taken a drastic and dramatic
step in filing an unfair labor complaint against the Gilroy Unified
School District with the California Public Employment Relations
Board.
The teachers union in Gilroy has taken a drastic and dramatic step in filing an unfair labor complaint against the Gilroy Unified School District with the California Public Employment Relations Board.
It’s an unwarranted action that is both disturbing and poignant in a time when there is a clear need for immediate academic progress across the board in our district. The decision to file that complaint is particularly ironic because the Gilroy Teachers Association believes that the district’s accountability plan, targeted as the cause for labor violations, is a good idea.
That’s right, teacher’s union president Michelle Nelson agrees that, “The idea behind accountability is a good one.”
So, we’re disappointed and a bit confused that GTA filed a labor complaint that demands that the implementation of the accountability plan be stopped in its tracks. That plan is the centerpiece for student progress and it has been unfolding for more than a year.
The GTA says that implementing the plan has caused extra, uncompensated work for teachers. District officials respond by saying that they’ve asked for specifics about problems, but that the union has not provided them.
Employees in the district – from the administration to the classroom – have participated in an extensive collaborative process in designing and implementing the accountability plan. Within that plan are hopes that implementation will dramatically improve student performance in Gilroy’s public schools. And student performance is in dire need of improvement.
That’s why the union’s decision to take this step is so disturbing. Why didn’t the GTA follow the normal, reasonable procedure of union representatives at each school site approaching principals about specific grievances, and then escalating problems to district administrators if compromises can’t be reached? Only if district-level negotiations fail, as a last resort, should an unfair labor practices complaint be filed.
Instead, the district will be spending tens of thousands of dollars to defend itself against the premature complaint.
The union says that it feared a deadline to file the complaint snuck up on them, so they had no choice but to file the complaint immediately.
We urge both sides to take a deep breath and to put the best interests of Gilroy’s public school students at the top of their respective priority lists.
As a show of good faith, the district should agree to an extended deadline for filing an unfair labor practices complaint, should renewed negotiations fail to yield an acceptable compromise.
And the teacher’s union should immediately withdraw its complaint, freeing district funds that are currently headed to lawyers’ bank accounts as a result of the filing. They should also bear in mind that during any transition period, there are glitches that need to be worked out. Patience should be the watch word.
Then, the union should provide detailed data about problematic accountability plan practices to each principal so that solutions can be found. If they are not, then district officials should become involved.
Only if that fails should state labor negotiators become involved.
But we’re confident that with cooler heads, reduced time pressure and improved student performance as shared goals any rough spots in the difficult transition to the new accountability plan are temporary and solvable.
Students in this district are struggling to master the basics. Clearly, the status quo at GUSD is not sufficient for students, teachers, administrators, taxpayers or the community.
This is a problem that must be solved, and the accountability plan is a laudable approach toward doing that. Now let’s get moving on it. Our students don’t have time to waste.
