USEP and District Reach Agreement
and Turn Focus to Next Year

Despite a last-minute misunderstanding that nearly torpedoed an agreement, last night USEP and District negotiation teams settled their 10-month contract dispute, putting an end to the impasse proceedings.  In a year when the District was looking for take backs, USEP bargaining teams held their ground and made inroads for next year. 

The agreement maintains salaries, benefits and workloads at their current levels and utilizes EduJobs funds to avoid furloughs and maintain staffing levels and compensation levels for this current year.  The remaining EduJobs funds will be utilized to offset some of the layoffs expected next year. 

In a survey of Union leaders throughout Florida, USEP learned that while some districts expended EduJobs funds this year to avert furloughs and reemploy laid off employees, the vast majority are applying their funds to help offset the record shortfalls expected in 2011-12.  Florida, including Pasco, is facing the worst financial shortfall in history.  And unlike some surrounding Districts, Pasco doesn’t have multi-million dollar grants or sales tax revenue to offset salaries.  

With the District anticipating a $60 million shortfall, layoffs are inevitable regardless of any settlement, but USEP bargaining teams believe this settlement will help minimize layoffs by continuing to freeze salaries and encouraging voluntary retirements.  The agreement includes a retirement incentive of 10 percent of a qualified employee's salary, up to $5,000, for those employees who retire or exit DROP between June 6th and 30th. 

Another important issue for next year was getting the District to abandon its efforts to require secondary teachers to teach six out of six periods daily. As in the past, the District will seek volunteers to teach the extra period.  Those who volunteer will be paid a supplement of $5,000 for a year-long course, and $2, 500 for a semester course.  SRP teams beefed up the layoff/recall language and negotiated a provision for next year that takes into consideration the benefit-earning status of SRP during layoff and recall.

The negotiation stalemate began to change on March 30th when the chief negotiators and legal counsel attended a prehearing conference with the magistrate assigned to hear the impasse case.  At the magistrate’s behest, both sides with attorneys met on April 7th to reevaluate their positions in light of the deteriorating economic and legislative circumstances.  As a result of that meeting, the sides narrowed their issues and reached conceptual agreement on all major points, which paved the way to settle this year’s contract.  In addition, during this time period, USEP researched recent impasse rulings, conferred with legal counsel, and attended an impasse hearing in a neighboring county. 

The USEP bargaining teams recognize the uncertainty and worry among employees.  After all, teachers and SRP volunteers make up the team.  These volunteers gave up countless hours over the last ten months to arrive at this settlement.   At every meeting, they discuss the anxiety that exists. “How many layoffs will occur, will there be furloughs or salary cuts, will I have to pay into my retirement?”  These are just some of the questions the teams feel need to be addressed as soon as possible so all teachers and SRP can know what to expect as they head into summer.  As part of the discussions, the teams agreed to meet as soon as the legislative session ends to start working on next year’s contract. 

Specifics on the settlement will soon be available on the USEP website and provided to Building Representatives this evening at the USEP Representative Council meeting.  The next step will be putting the proposed settlement out for ratification by teachers and SRP.