Teachers agree to 3-year deal
Thursday, October 7, 2004 7:30 AM PDT
By Venice Buhain
Printable version
E-mail this articleIt's not perfect, but it's done, Rainier teachers said Wednesday.
Rainier teachers agreed to a tentative three-year deal with the Rainier School District with a vote completed Wednesday afternoon.
Though the teachers weren't overjoyed with their new proposed contract, they were glad to move past the rough nine months of negotiations, said union president Jen Nelson.
"People are ready to put this behind us and go on teaching," she said. "It was difficult to try to keep everything together and upbeat for the kids."
The settlement now goes to the school board for approval. The board scheduled a special meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday shortly after the results of the teachers' vote became public.
The settlement came after eight months of negotiations and three months after the district called in state mediator. During the last few months, both the teachers and the district had prepared for a possible teacher strike.
Nelson did not have exact figures for the vote Wednesday night, but said that most of the 40 teachers assembled at a Tuesday afternoon presentation reacted positively to the proposal.
High school social studies teacher Dave Hourigan said he voted in favor of the contract because of the compromise reached over health insurance benefits, but that the contract may present problems in the future in recruiting new teachers.
"Our biggest concern is attracting teachers like me who stay for 27 years -- that we could become another small rural district that talented teachers use and leave to go to districts that are supremely competitive in salary and other things," he said.
Friday night's deal would freeze base pay in the first year and grant a 1 percent increase the second year and 2 percent increase the third year. Eligible teachers also would get a 4 percent step increase each year of the contract.
The district would increase its contribution to teachers' health insurance premiums by 10 percent in the second and third years.
The two sides also compromised on the early retirement incentive. The district wanted to phase it out in three years, while the faculty wanted to retain it until 2016. The incentive would be phased out after five years under the tentative agreement. The pact also would reduce the $100,000 annual cap the district now sets aside for the incentive program.
What's next?
The Rainier School Board must now vote on the three-year deal before it is finalized. It has scheduled a special meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Rainier Junior/Senior High School. The board will go into executive session and then follow it with a vote.
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