Remember me writing about how Northville, Michigan teachers were being threatened by the imposition of an Emergency Manager as they moved into contract talks?
This scenario was entirely predictable.The latest call for an emergency manager in Metro Detroit is coming from an unlikely place — the affluent Northville Public Schools.Stalled contract negotiations between administrators and employees have school board members discussing the possibility of seeking an emergency manager, which under state law must be appointed by the governor.
Emergency managers have the power to void union contracts, remove administrators and take all control of the district’s actions.
The two sides have until the second week in August to come to terms on a two-year collective bargaining agreement. Union representatives and administrators bargained Tuesday, but Superintendent Mary Kay Gallagher said no progress was made.
“(An emergency manager) is a last resort,” Gallagher said. “That is most definitely something that is under consideration, but again that is a last resort.”
Well, here we are a month later and guess what happened to the Northville unionized teachers. They got their asses handed to them to the tune of a 900% increase in their health insurance costs and a pay cut.
Northville teachers and school board members have OK’d a two-year contract that has teachers taking a pay cut, two furlough days and paying 900 percent more for health care coverage.Members of the Northville Education Association approved the agreement Monday. The Northville Board of Education gave its OK Wednesday night.
Yay for union-bashing! Yay for teacher demonizing! That should do wonders for their morale as they educate our kids, eh? These leeches parasites teachers just need to share in the goddam sacrifice!
In other news, Detroit Public School employees are fighting back.
The union representing some of the least-paid workers in the Detroit Public Schools district filed a lawsuit on Wednesday in an attempt to stop a 10% wage cut.The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 25 filed suit in federal court in Detroit, just days after an emergency meeting with DPS bus attendants, special education teachers’ aides and lunchroom workers.
The lawsuit was filed against Andy Dillon, the state treasurer and Roy Roberts, the state-appointed emergency manager for DPS. Roberts modified union contracts to impose the cuts. Dillon’s office approved the move.
The lawsuit argues that the changes are constitutionally prohibited.
Earlier this month, the unions representing the DPS teachers, secretaries and paraprofessionals filed suit against Dillon and Roberts in another attempt to stop the wage cuts.
Godspeed, folks. Go get ’em!
