** Update 2 8:30PM: Reports say Snoqualmie Valley teachers union, SVEA, ratified a new, 2-year contract at tonight’s (8/23) General Membership Meeting. There will be no boycott of this Thursday’s Technology Day. Contract details updated later. School Board still to approve contract. All is looking good, though, for August 30th school year start. ***
**Update 12:30PM: SVSD and SVEA Union bargaining went until 5AM today without an agreement being reached. Both sides were reportedly heading back to table later this morning for more bargaining. A SVEA representative states that “hopefully there will be a ratifiable contract to vote on at our general membership meeting today at 4:30 PM.” **
Original Story, 10:30AM: As of 2AM today, August 23rd, the Snoqualmie School District and their teacher’s union, SVEA, were still involved in their last contract bargaining session – a session that started yesterday, August 22nd. According to the SVEA website, “Both sides are still bargaining after more than 17 hours at the table.” Snoqualmie teacher’s current 3-year contract expires on August 31, 2011. Snoqualmie schools are scheduled to start on August 30th. The hitch? Teachers need a new contract to work past the end of the current contract – August 31st.
Without a deal reached, members of the teacher’s union will vote at today’s General Membership Meeting to boycott all SVSD Technology Day activities on August 25th. Last week building reps from all 10 Snoqualmie schools voted to recommend the boycott if no tentative contract deal was reached during the last bargaining session.
SVEA’s General Membership Meeting happens today, August 23rd, at 4:30PM in the MSHS auditorium. All union members are encouraged to attend and cast their vote.
For more updates stayed tuned here or visit the SVEA website or SVSD homepage.
Comments
Hmmm…altho the teachers could be doing certain things that serve their cause, boycotting a Tech Day doesn’t make sense. That day is designed to serve their professional development, and ultimately because of it their students (our kids). That smacks as simply spiteful. The cutting off your nose to spite your face kinda thing. Wouldn’t you want to enrichen your knowledge at someone else’s expense? Most people jump at that sort of thing. Striking against work hours is one thing, saying “no” to bettering your work ability is another. It’s this kind of thing that positions the teacher union and supporting members as “them vs us” with parents/voters/taxpayers. Looks like the union is putting as much thought into their plan as the SVSD board of directors is putting into their plan (ie, what plan?). Someone please enlighten me how I may be missing something important.