TENTATIVE AGREEMENT REACHED - TEACHERS AND PESPA UNIT VOTE OCTOBER 24

Representatives
of the Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association (PCTA), the Pinellas
Educational Support Professionals Association (PESPA), the Pinellas
Administrators Association (PAA), the Florida Public Service Union
(formerly SEIU) and district administration have reached a tentative
agreement on salary and benefits for 2007 – 2008. This represents the
latest settlement in the 40 year history of Pinellas bargaining. The
delay was a direct result of the legislature’s need to settle a $1
billion dollar shortfall in state revenue.

The
proposed settlement will be submitted for ratification for PCTA and
PESPA employees on October 24. All teachers, represented by PCTA, and
support professionals, represented by PESPA, will be able to vote. By Florida
law, all represented employees can vote, whether members or not. The
PCTA and PESPA reps will notify unit employees of the time and place to
vote. If the agreement is ratified, it will take effect retroactively
to July 1. The raises will then appear in the November 9 and 16
payrolls with retroactive payments at the same time.

PCTA
Faculty Representative Council and the PESPA Board will vote this
Thursday, October 18, on whether to recommend ratification. The School
Board will consider ratification on October 30. If any party fails to
ratify, bargaining will be reopened and continue until agreement is
reached. Raises for those covered employees will not be instituted
until agreement is reached by the employee organization and the School
Board. Here is a summary of the agreement:

TEACHER SALARIES: The
beginning salary was raised from $36,000 to $37,300, an increase of
3.6%. With steps, actual increases for teachers “in step” will average
4.85%. The B.A. top was increased from $57,820 to $59,870, an increase
of 3.5%. The salary schedule was raised by $1,055 plus $245 from the
referendum. Steps are added to this amount, and $750 added to the top
(because they don’t get a step.) Complete salary schedules have been
sent to the Reps and are available on the PCTA web site at
pcta-pespa.org.

SUPPORT SALARIES:
The support salary schedule was raised by 3.15% with additional
increases based on experience. Here are the raises by district
experience level: 0 years (minimum) 3.15%; Pinellas Continuous
Experience 1-3 years – 3.45%; 4-6 years – 3.75%; 7-9 years – 4.05%;
10-12 years – 4.35%; 13+ years – 4.55%. Those at the maximum of the
range will receive 3.15%.

FRINGE BENEFITS: In
addition, the district will contribute an additional $4 million to the
health insurance premiums. This will mean that most employees will have
no increase in premiums despite a nine percent increase in costs. This
is the equivalent of $300 per employee or an average of 7/10 of one
percent of salary.

OTHER ISSUES: PESPA
unit members will be asked to extend their current working conditions
contract until PESPA and the district can complete their work on
revision which will then be submitted for ratification.

Representatives
of the different employee groups and the district administration work
throughout the year on a variety of bargaining topics. The unique
approach to collective bargaining used in Pinellas County
organizes representatives appointed by each of the employee groups into
three working sub-committees under the oversight of a Bargaining
Leadership Team, comprised of committee chairs, organization presidents
and top district administrators. Designed to solve problems during the
year, they must also bring out items for ratification when required by
law. Normally, the settlement would work through the committee process.
This year is anything but normal.

Representatives
of the different employee groups and the district administration work
throughout the year on a variety of bargaining topics. The unique
approach to collective bargaining used in Pinellas County
organizes representatives appointed by each of the employee groups into
three working sub-committees under the oversight of a Bargaining
Leadership Team, comprised of committee chairs, organization presidents
and top district administrators. Designed to solve problems during the
year, they must also bring out items for ratification when required by
law. Normally, the settlement would work through the committee process.
This year is anything but normal.

PCTA AMENDMENTS 2006-07

ARTICLE XLV – SALARIES & SALARY

SUPPLEMENTS:

LAST YEAR’S SCHEDULE FOR COMPARISON