U City Education Association: What We Are Asking

A week after protesting outside a School District of University City Board of Education meeting, the University City Education Association has shared its contract concerns with Patch. 

The teachers union is upset with a contract offered to teachers. The UCEA statement reads as follows: 

The following were positive outcomes of this year’s negotiations:

• A mutually agreed upon two-year calendar
• Mutually agreed upon terms pertaining to contract and working conditions
• Allowed certified staff to make a salary channel change with fewer hours beyond the Master’s Degree
• Longevity steps for teachers with Master’s Degrees + 45 hours after 23 years on the salary schedule. 

The teacher’s union (University City Education Association/UCEA)  is protesting the following points:

• Negotiations were halted on April 29 because of an impasse declared by administration over salary. 
• After a Board hearing with the union and administrative team on May 2, the Board voted to cease negotiations and impose their salary schedule. According to the former head of negotiations for the union, the Board has not imposed a salary schedule in at least 18 years.
• The imposed schedule holds certified staff at Bachelor's column steps 7-14 and the BA+15 column steps 9-20 unless they get 6 college credits by Jan. 31, 2014. Seven percent of staff are impacted in this way.
• For 2014-15 the board has already imposed a salary freeze for certified staff on the affected steps until they gain 15 hours of college credit or move to the master’s column. A Master’s program is typically 30-36 credit hours, with each credit hour requiring approximately 16 hours of classwork, and an additional 32 hours of work outside of the class.
• The state of Missouri does not require that teachers have a Master’s Degree at any time in their career to maintain certification.
• The Board refused to return to negotiations even after the union requested the services of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services to provide a neutral mediator. This service is provided at no cost to either party.
• Salary increases for certified staff with a Master’s Degree or Master’s Degree + 15 credit hours receive a raise of 0.3 percent, one tenth of the average increase stated by administration.
• The district has a 17 percent fund balance. A district in financial crisis has a fund balance of 3 percent.

"ALL teachers work hard on behalf of their students every day, regardless of the number of credits they have beyond their Bachelor’s degree," the statement read. "The union is asking that the Board be fair to all teachers. The University City Education Association continues to seek a negotiated settlement rather than imposed salary terms and conditions."

See our previous coverage:

• School District Responds to Teacher Protest
• Teachers Union Protests Outside School Board

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