Teachers union, school district, continue negotiations
Contract negotiations will continue between the School District of Lee County and the Teachers Association of Lee County next week.
Last week TALC filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge alleging the district violated Florida law by unilaterally implementing a selective pay incentive scheme without negotiating with the union.
TALC stated that on June 3, the Lee County School Board passed a resolution that created new financial incentives for instructional staff, which included teaching specific subjects or working at certain schools.
“These sweeping pay changes were enacted without any bargaining with TALC, the legally recognized representative for all instructional personnel,” TALC stated in a release. “The School Board posted the resolution less than 24 hours before its regular meeting, and immediately after the vote, the superintendent distributed a pre-recorded video announcing the incentives to staff.”
TALC stated that the sequence showed the plan was premeditated and intentionally excluded the union.
“This is an unlawful end-run around the bargaining process and a blatant attempt to divide educators into ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots,'” TALC President Kevin Daly said. “Our members deserve better than unilateral decisions that reward some and disregard the commitment and workload of others. We will fight to ensure every pay decision is made lawfully and fairly — with educators at the table.”
According to TALC, Legal Action Underway TALC has filed the unfair labor practices charge with the Public Employees Relations Commission and is seeking a legal remedy requiring the district to bargain any compensation changes with the union before implementation.
“The integrity of the collective bargaining process is on the line,” Daly said. “If the district can ignore the law on pay, they can ignore it on anything. We will not allow that precedent to stand.”
The district and TALC resumed contract negotiations this week after talks were paused in May for the summer at TALC’s request.
According to a statement from the district, they are “committed to interest-based bargaining with the teacher’s union that is focused on our shared priorities.”
“We are fully compliant with all state mandates and in alignment with the priority of Governor Ron DeSantis and Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas to increase teacher compensation,” the district stated.
The district is allocating additional teacher salary funding beyond what the state provided for the fourth consecutive year.
“We value the dedication, expertise, and hard work of our educators, and look forward to continued negotiations that honor their vital role in our community,” the district stated, adding that the next bargaining session is set for Monday.
Meanwhile, the school district and the Support Personnel Association of Lee County reached a comprehensive agreement on contract modifications and compensation updates.
“This is a tremendous victory for our members and represents exactly what we hoped to achieve through collaborative bargaining,” SPALC President Arlease Williams said. “The substantial compensation increases, leave benefits, and comprehensive improvements show that both sides were committed to reaching an agreement that truly supports our workforce. We couldn’t be more pleased with these results.”
The agreement includes a 3% cost of living adjustment for all SPALC employees, additional compensation for employees who have a higher level of experience and new paid leave benefits.
The benefits include up to four weeks, 20 consecutive workdays, of paid parental leave to run concurrently with FMLA and up to three days of paid bereavement leave, which is not deducted from personal/sick time.
Other highlights include retroactive pay to the beginning of the contract year, terminal pay language revisions to align with state statute and experience credit – up to 10 years accepted for new hires.
“We are thrilled to announce this exceptional agreement that truly recognizes the invaluable contributions of our support team members,” said Superintendent Dr. Denise Carlin. “This comprehensive contract demonstrates our unwavering commitment to the dedicated professionals who play such vital roles in our educational system. These significant improvements in compensation and benefits reflect how much we value their service to our students and families.”
SPALC employees will be notified of their new salary by Sept. 9. The school board approval is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 7 and the approved raises and retroactive payments will be issued on Oct. 31.