FUHSD opens contract negotiations while still in the red

On Monday evening, June 23, the Fallbrook Union High School District Board of Education agreed to allow the collective bargaining process for the district’s classified union, which consists of non-teaching employees, such as the security and maintenance crews in the district, to commence so that terms for a new contract may be settled in order to replace their

work contract that expired on Monday, June 30.

According to Assistant Superintendent Chester Gannett, the law requires the contract renewal process, and since the union has asked for a full agreement discussion, the union will be able to talk about all terms of the contract.

The public notice was posted at the public meeting and the board directed Gannett to go ahead and meet with union representatives to determine an agreement between the district and the union.

Both sides have offered proposals to discuss, but the process may be ongoing, as the terms must be acceptable to both sides as well as affordable for the district.

What makes bargaining more difficult for the union is that FUHSD is on a tight budget because of expenses remaining from last school year; therefore, the fiscal terms of the contract may have to stay the same.

“Money is a real problem,” says Board of Trustees President Bill O’Connor. “We don’t have any money from the State, so it would be very difficult to change the contract to offer more money. We can only offer what we can fiscally do with the sort of resources that we are given by the State. So, if we don’t get anything from the State, I think, personally, that it would be very difficult.”

“We have to do this collectively,” O’Connor continued. “The board will direct Mr. Gannett to proceed with the negotiations and each side will present different terms to negotiate and try to work something out between the two parties. Hopefully, we can come up with a contract that’s acceptable to both sides.”

Because of the stipulations in both the teachers’ and classified workers’ contracts, the teachers’ union in the district will also have the option to open negotiations on their contract, even though it is valid and will not expire until 2009.

The teachers have the opportunity to open discussion of their contract and can discuss items such as working conditions. O’Connor feels that teachers may ask to open their negotiations.

However, O’Connor says he feels that both unions can see that there isn’t a lot of money to work with and that negotiations will be made around that fact.

“We are all reasonable people; I am assuming that everyone will realize the fiscal problems we are having in the State, and that will be a part of [the unions’] negotiation process,” he said.

The first meeting for collective bargaining between the classified union and the board of trustees to discuss new contract agreements will commence July 8 and both sides will discuss their proposals in private session.

To comment on this article online, visit http://www.thevillagenews.com.