Union fails to ratify contract with school district

Labor-related disputes are dividing the Clark County School District as officials attempt to cobble together a 2010-11 budget that still needs $28 million in cuts.

There was "chaos" Tuesday when members of the district's support staff union failed to ratify a tentative agreement on concessions that would save the district about $10 million and help prevent mass layoffs.

"People were extremely out of order," said Bo Yealy, president of the Education Support Employees Association.

Yealy said she stopped the process when she saw nonmembers participating in the vote. Yealy said her board will reschedule another vote soon.

And on Wednesday, the district lost a court fight with its administrators union, a critic of district leadership during the financial crisis.

Clark County District Court Judge Douglas Herndon upheld an arbitrator's decision that found the district was wrong to reduce the administrators' salary schedule in 2009 outside of collective bargaining.

The district adjusted salaries for administrators, support staff and school police to cover a half-percent increase in the cost of contributions to the Public Employees Retirement System.

But the district agreed to cover that cost for teachers. It would cost the financially struggling district about $4.4 million to cover the PERS increase for the three other employee groups also.

"Our original position is if the superintendent is going to pay it for one bargaining group, we believe he should treat all bargaining groups fairly," said Stephen Augspurger, executive director of the Clark County Association of School Administrators and Professional-technical Employees.

The district has not said whether it will appeal.

Augspurger said the issue is more about fairness than money. The administrators union will be satisfied if the final arbitration denies the administrators the half-percent salary increase, he said.

Superintendent Walt Rulffes contended that there would not have been a PERS dispute if the administrators had agreed to "a single, solitary furlough day," worth less than a half-percent reduction in pay.

"I reiterate my invitation to CCASAPE to stop worrying about the other unions and come to the table, as the other union leaders have done in a professional manner, and help solve the financial crisis, not exacerbate it," Rulffes said.

Combined shortfalls in state funding and property tax revenues mean the district faced a budget gap of $145 million for next year. Earlier this year, district officials announced that they might have to cut as many as 1,077 jobs if concessions are not reached with its employee unions.

When members of the support staff union tried to reach agreement on concessions Tuesday, teaching assistant Autumn Tampa said some people got into a shouting match over whether to freeze pay raises based on experience.

Another support staff worker, who requested anonymity, said there was confusion over proposed contract language for layoffs and reductions in force. She said people were upset that Yealy would not let others speak. Yealy, who lost her bid for re-election, said she was trying to clear up "misinformation."

Now that "members have blown off some steam," Tampa said she hopes a consensus can be reached.

John Carr will succeed Yealy as president of the union, which represents more than 12,000 workers, on July 7.

The Clark County Education Association represents more than 18,000 teachers and other licensed employees.

While the teachers union has reached a tentative agreement with the district to freeze pay raises based on experience, the two parties are still working on "language." A ratification vote has not been scheduled, said Ruben Murillo, president of the teachers union.

The district has to approve a final budget by Wednesday .

Augspurger said that the district is not required to cover employees' increases in their pension contributions.

By doing so for teachers, Augspurger said, the district incurred a $9 million expense while making other worker groups sacrifice to cover the teachers' benefit.

"I don't mind paying my bill, I just don't want to pay their bill," Augspurger said.

Augspurger also thinks that all contract negotiations between the unions and the district should be held in public to discourage unfair treatment.

Murillo said Augspurger was upset that the teachers union is better at negotiating.

Rulffes said, "The definition of fairness is in the mind of the individual beholder, and it's a slippery slope to impose it on others."

Contact reporter James Haug at jhaug@reviewjournal.com or 702-374-7917.