WEA General Membership Meeting

March 12, 2013WHS Auditorium

We need YOUR help!!

• Ways to get involved– Show up to meetings when asked!!– Help with School Board Elections– Join the Settlement Task Force– Sign-up for a school board meeting to attend– Update your PSEA Info– WEAR YOUR RED SHIRT

• Purpose of the RED shirt

• Are you getting the emails from Sue Brown and PSEA?

Settlement Task Force

The negotiations committee would like to create a Settlement Task ForceThe purpose of the task force would be to • gather member information, phone

numbers emails etc.• Establish building contacts• Co-ordinate informational messages• Co-ordinate in the event of a strike

School Board Meetings

• Dates: Second and Fourth Monday of every month

• Please sign up to attend meetings. The clip board will be coming around

• Wear your RED shirt to the meeting• Be a presence at the meeting.

School Board Elections

• Four Seats Open:- Park, Brown, Stanton, Moyer

• District Residents may be asked to do the following:– Call people– Distribute information– Man the polls

• Non-district residents can recommend education friendly candidates to friends & family in the district

Why We Need Your Help

Status of Negotiations• Board Goals– Keep the quality of the programs we have going– Maintain our financial stability– Maintain staff

Economics

Board’s Proposal– Year 1 – 0%/0% (no raise, no step movement)– Year 2 - $1,000 providing a satisfactory rating is

achieved– Year 3 – 1% with step

WEA– Year 1 – 2.95% on scale– Year 2 – 2.75% on scale– Year 3 – 2.55% on scale

Board’s Proposal• The Board wishes to eliminate the following from the current contract:

– All floating subs– The 100 Day sick bank for long term illnesses– Cost Containment (for opting out of district health care)– All reimbursement past a 1st Master’s Degree– National Board Certification pay differential– PC 10/20/70 (Health care)– Retirement healthcare benefits– Furlough clause with regard to high school schedule– Continuous Co-Curricular Contracts (coaches will be rehired each year)– All committees to include co-curricular, guidelines, healthcare, teacher

evaluation, and schedule review– Early Retirement Incentive Program

Proposed Changes

• The Board wishes to make the following CHANGES to the existing contract:– Limit credits earned to 12 per year– Establish contractual language establishing

professional duties beyond the work day– Change “buy up” health care to PC 10/20/70– Introduce lesser health care plan PC/320– Increase dental co-pay– Increase health insurance contribution by 10% over 3

years

WEA Proposal

• Encore Class Size• Co-Curricular Equity• Just Cause• Establishment of Professional Development

Committee• Teacher Evaluation Language• and other issues that speak to the climate in

the district

The Wissahickon Salary Schedule

Benefits• All Column Movements are Equal

• All Step movements are Equal

• Balance scales do not have bump stepso Bump steps raise the increment cost and encourages districts

to bargain a step freeze. o Allows districts to afford and predict their payroll

• All members are treated equally.o A teacher moving from step 1 to step 2 receives the same

raise as a person moving from step 16 to step 17

Current Salary Schedule

The effects of the "No Step" we agreed to in the last contract (2010-2013)

A step freeze is the worst thing for members.In 2010 each step was worth $2,430. There were 16 steps in the

scale.

• First year teacher:$2,430 * 16 = $38,880 that you lost.

• For a five year teacher:$2,430 * 11 = $26,730 that you lost.

• For a ten year teacher:$2,430 * 6 = $14,580 that you lost.

• For a fifteen year teacher:$2,430 * 1 = $2,430 that you lost.

What is the long term effect of taking these step freezes?

• Example based on a teacher hired in 2007

A teacher hired in 2007 already took a step freeze in 2010.o $2,430 (cost of a cell at that time) times 14 (the number

of remaining steps to the top) is $34,020. o You already gave that money back to the district.

How Will the Board's Current Proposal Affect You?

Example for a teacher hired in 2007 (~30 new hires)Two years without a step increase.• First year $2,510 *12 = $30,120• Second year $2,510 *12 =$30,120

Total Give back if we accept the current proposal = $60,240

Total Give back for this contract AND previous contract = $94,260

Salary Schedule (The % increase)

• Salary Schedule decreased in real dollars over the last contract.Year Scale %

Increase Inflation Net change

to Scale

2010-11 0% 1.5 -1.5%

2011-12 1.5% 3.0 -1.5%

2012-13 1.74% 1.7 +0.04%

3 Year Total 0.87%per year

2.55% per year

-1.68%

Inflation and Salary Schedule

• Inflation projectionso 2013: 1.8%o 2014: 2.0%

• The percent increase MUST equal the inflation rate for us to receive a 0% raise.

• If the percent increase is less than inflation then we are taking a pay cut.

• If we were to accept a 0% in 2013 we are really taking a 1.8% pay cut.

What is the Ideal Salary Schedule?• Minimize the number of steps, so teachers reach the career

rate faster, and the profession remains attractive to college graduates (weakness of our scale) o Council Rock has 12 steps.

• Balanced - each step and column movement is equal (our schedule is balanced)

• Minimize the incremental cost (the cost of advancing each person one step on the salary schedule)

• The percent increase should match or exceed inflation to avoid taking a pay cut

Corbett’s Plan for Pensions

• Reduces the multiplier from 2.5 to 2.0 for everyone (current employees included)

• Final salary calculation changed to highest salary for last 5 years

• New employees changed to 401(k) defined contribution plan• Reduces monthly benefits if you draw out entire pension at

retirement• Overall weakening of stability of system

• Contribute to PACE• Contact state legislators