Broward Teachers Union walks away from salary talks Options

[Chris Spiliotis]

Broward Teachers Union walks away from salary talks

Union calls off negotiations on salary increases

By Kathy Bushouse
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
August 13, 2008

One day after launching an e-mail and fax attack on the Broward County School District to support a pay raise for teachers, the Broward Teachers Union walked away from salary talks with district officials. Union leaders were upset that the district continued to insist that there is no money for teacher raises for the next year, and on Tuesday declared an impasse. That means the negotiations that started in June will stop for now, and teachers will start the school year Monday without the raise they wanted.

On Tuesday, the union asked for a 2 percent raise on top of the increase both sides agreed to last year, plus a 2 percent increase that would take effect in January.

They also wanted the district's starting salary to increase to $39,000 a year starting in January, and to reduce the number of salary steps for teachers.

"It's just a little hard to believe ... that they could not come up with some money," said union president Pat Santeramo, who hoped for at least a cost-of-living increase for teachers.

Next, both sides must agree on a federal mediator to settle the dispute, a union spokesman said. There is no deadline for picking the mediator.

The impasse is the latest move by the union. On Monday, the union said it sent more than 69,000 e-mail and fax pleas to the school district and School Board, asking for a raise.

The union also is calling on its 13,000 members to wear black to school when classes resume next week.

Schools Superintendent James Notter said he was surprised by the union's actions, but said that "impasse doesn't mean that we can't continue to talk and negotiate."

Teachers still will receive the raise negotiated last year. And many will see an increase by moving to the next salary step, in addition to an extra $15 million the district will pay toward teachers' health insurance coverage, Notter said.

But for some teachers, that salary step increase could be as little as $30, and teachers on the top step won't see an increase. ...
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