Teachers urged to arbitrate pact

Teachers returning to the classroom may again be working under unnerving conditions as their union and the Clark County School District face off in arbitration.

John Vellardita, executive director of Clark County Education Association, told 600 teachers in a closed-door meeting Monday to strike down contract proposals from both the district and the union.

The district's proposal would have kept pay raises coming but prevent layoffs by making teachers take three furlough days. The union's proposal instead suggested two unpaid days off for teachers.

Vellardita said the unusual request was made because the district has rehired all 419 teachers laid off in June, which wasn't the case when the union crafted its proposal. But there is also another factor in play.

"If we don't reach an agreement, we're on track to go to arbitration," said Vellardita, emphasizing that the union won in arbitration for the 2011-12 contract. "We're comfortable, confident we can do the same in this one."

The Las Vegas Review-Journal obtained an audio recording from a member who was at the union's Monday meeting.

Teachers agreed with Vellardita, overwhelmingly voting down both proposals. The vote was made through a show of hands instead of using ballots, as the union's rules require for "all ratification of collective bargaining agreements."

Telling members to vote down all contract proposals and seek arbitration in lieu of bargaining may be the basis of an unfair labor practice complaint, but it's unclear whether district officials will file one.

"We're going to look into that," said district spokeswoman Amanda Fulkerson, noting that teachers' rejection of the union's proposal reaffirms that workers don't want furloughs or pay cuts.

The only other option is a pay freeze, which is what the district unsuccessfully sought last school year. The other employee groups - support staff, administrators and police - agreed to a pay freeze, saving the district about
$36 million.

Fulkerson said the union originally proposed furlough days as an alternative to a pay freeze.

"Our proposal has always been to withhold raises, allowing teachers to keep their current salary for one year while we work on funding issues at the legislative level and anticipate a better economy," Fulkerson said.

According to sources, district negotiators entertained the idea of furlough days, which are required days off without pay.

District negotiators proposed four furlough days to save $22 million. That equates to the same savings that would result from teachers taking a one-year pay freeze. The union countered with two furlough days, and the district compromised with three days, which would save about $17 million.

The district's proposal also included a one-time suspension of its annual
$4.1 million contribution to the union's Retiree Health Trust.

But union members and speakers at Monday's meeting were adamant that teachers shouldn't have to give up anything to help the district, which they argue isn't as cash-strapped as it claims.

"I say go to arbitration and give absolutely nothing back," said one teacher at Monday's meeting.

Vellardita, who also is the union's chief negotiator, agreed.

"(Last year) we were able to prove the financial position of the district wasn't as dire as they claimed," said Vellardita, pointing to the 415 layoffs that Superintendent Dwight Jones threatened would result if teachers received pay raises in 2011-12.

Teachers preserved their raises in an arbitration victory, and layoffs did ensue. Vellardita argued Monday that because everyone was rehired over the summer, the district had the money for pay raises all along.

That is not the case, contended Fulkerson, who said the positions of these 419 teachers - and 600 others who resigned - remain cut. About 17,000 teachers are on staff instead of the allotted 18,000 positions.

Simply put, more teachers resigned this summer than expected. In all, 1,215 teachers voluntarily left this summer, about twice as many as expected, according to the district's Human Resources Department.

The 419 laid-off teachers didn't get their positions back but filled vacated jobs. Their rehiring doesn't change the fact that there will be 1,000 fewer district teachers than last year, Fulkerson said.

"Last year's arbitration has very real implications for this year's classrooms," Fulkerson said.

"We will see an average of three more students per classroom due to the elimination of 1,015 positions cut to balance our budget."

Contact reporter Trevon Milliard at tmilliard@review journal.com or 702-383-0279.