What Happened
We rallied into negotiations supported by dozens of silent representatives. We had so many people we ran out of chairs! We presented our responses to the district – you can see our complete presentation here and the text of our responses here.
The district provided no responses to any of our questions or proposals today. We have repeatedly shown that we are interested in settling the contract as soon as possible, so long as the terms are good for our members. The district is not showing the same urgency.
A few highlights – we are asking for paid parental leave and guaranteed ability to use sick days to care for family members. The district is offering ten days of paid parental leave and has rejected use of sick days to care for family members. We are asking for separate stipends for paras who toilet and diaper students and who work in sub separate classrooms. The district has agreed to a sub separate stipend and has rejected extra compensation for toileting and diapering in mainstream classrooms. We are asking for guaranteed compensation when class sizes and caseloads make working and learning conditions unsustainable. The district has rejected any enforceable language.
We are asking for living, competitive wages for paras, clerks, and educators. We are asking for readjustments for paras that will give us a starting wage of $37,000 / year by the end of the contract. The district is offering only $28,351, which is only 95 cents higher than their initial proposal. We are asking for readjustments for clerks that will give principal clerks a starting wage of $36.30 an hour, about $70,785 a year. The district is offering $27.36, only a 26 cent increase from their last proposal. We are asking for a 22.5% raise for educators. The district is offering 10%, only a 1% increase from their last proposal and 3% lower than our last contract.
The district’s only response was to speak at length about concerns that Chelsea’s funding can’t be reliably predicted into the future. We know that school funding is based on formulas, not vibes. We need the membership’s support to show the district that we believe in math, not fear. The district has said repeatedly that they want to settle this contract. We need to see the wages and working conditions our staff and students deserve in order to get there.
Immediate Next Steps
- Like and comment on our CTU social media
- RSVP for our End of Year Party at the Chelsea Yacht Club on June 14th to celebrate all of our hard work and hear about our next steps as we head off into the summer! We will have free food, two drink tickets per member, raffle prizes, and a DJ!!
In solidarity,
CTU Negotiating Team
Chelsea Teachers' Union 