January 30, 2013
Talks focus on contract basics:
coverage, temps, teacher rights
At their third round of contract talks today, Guild and Kaplan management negotiators focused on issues of paramount importance to every union contract, such as who the contract will cover and the definition and use of temporary employees.
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BARGAINING UPDATE
_________________________________________________________A good amount of time was spent discussing what impact the planned relocation of the East Village school would have on the makeup of bargaining unit, the teachers covered by the contract.
Management initially insisted that Guild representation was restricted to the three specific Kaplan International Centers (KIC) locations in the Certification Notice issued by the National Labor Relations Board last summer. Guild negotiators argued that, in light of the impending relocation of the East Village school, teachers there should remain in Guild jurisdiction when they move to their new address. After a brief caucus, management added the new address – 623 Broadway – to its proposal. But even under Kaplan’s latest proposal, if KIC were to open a fourth school in New York City, teachers assigned to it would be excluded from contract coverage.
The Guild also expressed concern that Kaplan’s proposed contract could enable management to use temporary employees instead of filling vacancies for regular positions, creating an underclass of temporary teachers without the protection of the contract. In principle, both sides agreed that temps would work for a period of no longer than six months.
Another cause for concern is management’s insistence on language that would allow Kaplan to add management or supervisory functions to a teacher’s duties, without his or her consent. Teachers who manage or supervise could lose their right to union representation – and the protection of the contract.
Due to scheduling conflicts, the next bargaining session will likely be in late February or early March. Please feel free to contact any members of the bargaining committee if you have any questions or suggestions.
If you still haven’t signed a Guild membership card and would like to, contact info@nyguild.org, or speak to a member of the bargaining committee. Membership allows you to attend meetings and vote on the final contract.
The Guild Bargaining Committee
Emily Lessem, Unit Chair
Shana Dagenhart, First Vice Chair
L. Toby Kahn, Second Vice Chair
David Sedgwick, Treasurer
Jon Blanchette, Assistant Treasurer
Tasha Uria, Secretary
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(now, management's email update about the same session)
KIC-Guild Negotiations -- Little Progress, More Delays
KIC and the Guild met Wednesday for the third bargaining session since negotiations began last November. While KIC expected the Guild to come to Wednesday’s session prepared to respond to the proposals KIC made at the last bargaining session on December 10, 2012 – almost two months ago --it came to the session largely empty-handed, and offered only a few oral proposals on a couple of items. So we have little progress to report.
At Wednesday’s meeting, KIC came prepared to negotiate and make counter-proposals – and in fact made new, written proposals to the Guild dealing with the scope of the bargaining unit, the use of temporary employees and non-discrimination language. In its Bargaining Unit proposal, KIC addressed the imminent relocation of the Cooper Square Center, but made clear to the Guild that KIC was not interested in expanding– and not legally obligated to expand -- the unit’s definition to include entirely new centers that KIC might establish in the future in New York. KIC also made clear that it intended to reserve its basic rights to determine who will serve as its managers and supervisors, without Guild challenge. At the end of the day, the parties reached only one tentative agreement: the Guild accepted KIC’s proposal to establish a Labor-Management Committee to consult periodically on matters of mutual interest.
Despite making little progress at this session, the Guild also had to cancel the parties’ next bargaining session, which was set for February 13. So the parties will now have to wait until the end of February to continue negotiations, with additional dates set for March 12 and 13.
Bargaining for a first contract understandably takes time. But we at KIC hope that future meetings will prove more productive than Wednesday’s meeting. We hope the Guild will come to our next meeting prepared to make thoughtful and constructive proposals on the important issues on the table, so that the parties can work toward the mutual goal of reaching an agreement that meets the needs of both KIC and its teachers.
KIC’s Bargaining Committee
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