Contract negotiations for workers in the Highland Local Schools were delayed for several months past the old contract's June 30, 2012 expiration date because of an effort by an anti-union group to get rid of UE Local 741. The local soundly defeated that attack, and then overcame a terrible set of management proposals, and an anti-union lawyer representing the school board, to negotiate a three-year contact with good wage increases and other improvements.
The union-busting attack came from a small group of anti-union employees - essentially the same group that had tried the same thing in 2005, using the same tactics. In both cases this group constituted itself as a pro-management fake "union" - in this case calling themselves the "Highland Classified Employees." They made promises that were too good to be true (dues of only $100 a year, a good contract without ever having to stand up to management), and submitted a petition for a representation election to the State Employment Relations Board (SERB), Ohio's public-sector labor board. SERB scheduled a mail-ballot election during the summer break. Even though most members were off work for the summer, Local 741 loyalists got around and talked with their co-workers. The local also mailed workers information, reminding them of the union's many accomplishments since they first organized in 1999. When SERB counted the ballots on August 21, there were 51 votes for UE and only 19 for the phony union. The anti-UE group had not gained a single vote since the "raid" election in 2005, when UE had defeated them by 47 to 19. "The members did good standing strong together, and they knew that other union just wasn't going to be what UE is," said Ruth Daugherty, a longtime leader and activist in Local 741 and member of the bargaining committee. "But because of that, we were six months late negotiating the contract."
After overcoming the attempt to eliminate the union, Local 741 faced the prospect of negotiating against an aggressive new lawyer hired by the school board from an anti-union law firm in Cleveland. But the UE bargaining committee made it clear to school administrators that they were not about to surrender, and if the school district was going to allow the lawyer to run negotiations, it was in for a tough fight - as well as a big pile of legal bills from the lawyer. The school board then wisely decided not to bring their attorney at the bargaining table.
When Local 741's elected leaders finally got to the bargaining table on October 22, they were presented with a package of regressive proposals from the school board. If accepted, these would have gutted union recognition and union rights, made seniority meaningless, undermined job bidding, and taken away much of what the union had achieved since it was organized. The school board even tried to remove from the union an entire category of workers - secretaries - even though they are included in the union's official certification by SERB. "One of their silliest proposals was one that said you couldn't use your personal days for doing anything that was fun," recalled Daugherty. "We probably could have negotiated the contract in four meetings if they didn't bring in all that junk from the lawyer." Instead, it took 21 bargaining sessions to reach agreement.
On January 9 the parties reached a tentative agreement which the members ratified on January 17. The new agreement is a three-year contract with a first-year wage increase of 2 percent, retroactive to July 1, 2012, plus a 2 percent cash bonus. Wages will increase by 1.5 percent in both the second and third years. Building cooks will also receive a wage adjustment of 70 cents a year. The pay for bus trips increases each year, and the annual electricity allowance for bus drivers (who keep the buses at their homes and plug in the engines to house current overnight) is increased from $80 to $90. The contract increases the number of available union leave days, increases the number of sick days an employee can accumulate to 242, and improves job bidding language. Year-round employees will be able to take five unpaid days off when school is not in session.
"It was a new experience for me because I've never been through negotiations before, says Local President Bonnie Keen, who did have extensive experience as a steward. "We just kept talking back and forth and we used a lot of common sense. I'm a common sense person and I kept coming back to how proposals would affect us employees who work every day." Keen added, "We couldn't have done it without Ruth."
The local bargaining committee negotiated the contract on their own, with International Representative Dennis Painter providing consultation and advice. The union bargaining committee consisted of President Bonnie Keen, Chief Steward Christy Carson, Recording Secretary Vicky Dunaway, and Ruth Daugherty. "The bargaining committee did a great job and showed great bargaining skill in bringing these difficult negotiations to a successful conclusion," said Painter. "I'm very proud of them."