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This system of automatic salary increases worked satisfactorily when the rate of inflation was
close to or above the automatic increases in the contract. But year after year of automatic
increases in excess of inflation have taken their toll, causing much of the Districts current fiscal
predicament.
When senior teachers retire, and are replaced by junior teachers who are entitled to less pay
under the contract, the District saves money. But these savings have not been sufficient to
counterbalance the automatic increases built into the BTA contract.
Since 2008, the Board has worked hard to reduce the automatic increases built into the BTA
contract. In 2010, we negotiated a contract covering the years 2009-2013 that paused the
automatic increases for one year, and increased teachers health insurance contributions from
10% of the total premium to 15%. In 2013, we negotiated a contract covering the years 20132016 that introduced a new compensation system for teachers hired on or after July 1, 2013.
Under this new compensation system, which is unique in the state, the automatic increases built
into the contract are limited to 2% per year. With each passing year, as teachers under the old
system retire and new teachers are hired under the new system, the burden of automatic pay
increases will become less and less onerous for the District. But it is still too soon for us to enjoy
a significant benefit from that trendespecially since the recent layoffs we have been forced to
implement disproportionately affect teachers who are under the new compensation system. New
York State law requires layoffs to be in reverse order of senioritylast hired, first fired.
The District has contracts with two other unionsthe CSEA, which represents civil service
employees such as secretaries, teacher aides, and custodians, and BASA, which represents all but
the highest-level administrators. We have worked hard to reduce the automatic salary increases
built into those contracts as well. In 2012, we subcontracted bus driving work that had been
done by CSEA employees to a private company, and we negotiated a contract with CSEA that
increased the percentage of health insurance premiums paid by CSEA employees. In 2015, we
negotiated a contract with BASA that reduces the automatic increases from 2.25% per year to
1.5%.
The District is not permitted to negotiate pension costs with its unions. Pension benefits for
employees are mandated by state law, and so are the Districts contributions to the state pension
funds.
Under New York law, the District cannot unilaterally change its union contracts. The unions
must agree to any changes. Therefore, the most we can hope for are gradual, incremental
reforms. Simply by withholding their consent, the unions can continue the old contracts
indefinitely. The unions are not permitted to strike, but they do have the power to maintain the
status quo.
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be done to make the BTA contract compatible with the new reality of low inflation and low tax
levy increases.
The Road From Here
As this summary makes apparent, the District and BTA are far apart in their positions. It is for
this reason that both sides have agreed that they have reached an impasse. This means that
PERB, the Public Employment Relations Board, will assign a mediator to try to facilitate an
agreement. Mediation will probably take place in the fall.
Although we strongly disagree with BTA over what the terms of our new contract should be, we
hope that as the negotiating process continues in mediation, we will continue to communicate
with each other in a respectful and collegial manner. We appreciate the hard work that our
teachers do every day for our children, and we promise to continue to work with them closely to
provide our children with the highest quality education anywhere.
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