What is Collective Bargaining?
What is collective bargaining?
According to the AFL-CIO: "Collective bargaining is the process in which working people, through their unions, negotiate contracts with their employers to determine their terms of employment, including pay, benefits, hours, leave, job health and safety policies, ways to balance work and family, and more. Collective bargaining is a way to solve workplace problems."
"The Union Can't Guarantee You Anything"
It's true that the union can't guarantee us anything. But Propel does not guarantee us anything either.
Ultimately, collective bargaining is a negotiation, and negotiations require the cooperation of multiple parties. When we have a certified union, we will be able to take our needs and demands to Propel leadership. Propel leadership will meet us with their needs and demands. And from there negotiation will begin. At the end of the negotiating process, both sides will have a contract that is mutually agreeable.
What does the union organizing committee want out of a contract?
The union organizing committee has ideas about what we want from a contract with Propel. But these ideas are not set in stone. What we negotiate for with Propel will be based on a survey that ALL union members will be invited to complete. Thus, what we negotiate for—and what we prioritize—will be based on member needs and not solely our own.
That said, this a small list of contract provisions that educators in the network are interested in negotiating for:
Transparent salary schedule based on experience and education
Differentiated evaluation model(s)
Increased transparency regarding pathway positions, such as job descriptions, stipends, and evaluation rubrics
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion provisions such as :
Pay equity reviews and pay equity adjustments
Contractually required anti-discrimination and anti-racism programs
Compensation for work on the DEI committee
Due Process and Grievance Procedures. (See PSEA's website for more)
Reinstating PSERS as a retirement option for all employees.
Equitable workloads for educators across the network
Educator ownership of our intellectual property, such as lesson plans and lesson materials.
Again, the union cannot guarantee we get any of these things. But we can promise we will survey members to understand their needs and priorities and honor those needs and priorities as we negotiate.
