Ogden Teachers Rally for Collective Bargaining

Ogden Teachers Rally for Collective Bargaining

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Jordan School Board ratifies agreement with teachers for lanes and steps

The Jordan School District has ratified the agreement with the Jordan Education Association that resulted from negotiations, mediation and finally a fact-finding hearing. Jordan teachers will receive their lanes and steps for this year, but will not receive them next year unless funding increases to pay for them. JEA went to impasse early in the process and mediation did not solve anything. A fact-finder was hired by the district and JEA (final cost to JEA was several thousand dollars). The JEA leadership and staff prepared extensive material that was presented to the fact-finder in a hearing. The fact-finder recommended that the school district pay the lanes and steps. Jordan did not receive steps last year, but took a one-time 1% bonus instead.

Weber resumes their mediation meetings with the district and our mediator, Lynn Trenbeath, next Monday, Oct. 4.

Ogden has not scheduled any further mediation meetings until we have more information about the federal money coming to our state. Our best information (from legislators) is that we probably will be able to use half of the federal money for salaries and benefits, because the legislature will cut the districts funding for this fiscal year because of the lack of tax revenues. The new tax revenue numbers will be here in November and the legislators tell us that they will meet in special session in November to discuss the money.

Rick