Agreement reached-strike is over at MESD

The strike is over.
 

AFSCME Local 1995 and the Multnomah Education Service District came to a tentative contract agreement shortly after 3 a.m. early Saturday (Dec. 15) morning. The two-year deal, retroactive to July 1, 2007, was signed off by both sides at the end of a 13-hour mediation session.

Economic highlights of the agreement include a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) of 2 percent retroactive to July 1. A second COLA of 2.5 percent kicks in July 1, 2008. Also on July 1, 2008, longevity pay for senior employees will begin as follows:

* 10 years of service – additional 1.5 percent (of gross salary);

* 15 years – additional 2 percent;

* 20 years – additional 2.5 percent;

* 25 years – additional 3 percent;

* 30 years – additional 3.5 percent.

Over half of the Local 1995 bargaining unit will qualify for at least the first level on longevity pay when it takes effect.

The new agreement also doubles the amount MESD will pay for shift differentials.

On health insurance, the union accepted the district’s rate sheet proposal for the first year of the contract. However, MESD will raise the amount it pays on the insurance caps in the deal’s second year.

There were also many contract language improvements. One of the most important is the addition of true “just cause” language in the discipline and discharge article.

An unusual aspect of the deal is that although the strike has been declared over and striking workers will go back to paid status as of Dec. 17, Local 1995 members who stayed on strike the entire duration will not actually report to work until their first regularly scheduled shift on or after Jan. 2, 2008. For many members that’s the equivalent of an extra week paid vacation; for some members, it’s two weeks.

This week over 70 members attend  their first stewards training bringing great new leadership and energy into the union.

The Local 1995 Bargaining Team received a standing ovation when it marched into an overflowing conference room at the Portland AFSCME office late morning on Dec. 15. The contract was explained in detail and questions were answered over the course of a three-hour session. The Local 1995 constitution requires a 10-day notice before a ratification vote can be held. That notice will go out Dec. 17, and the actual balloting will take place at the Portland AFSCME office, 6025 E. Burnside St., from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Dec. 27.

Questions about the agreement can be directed to either Council 75 staff representative Issa Simpson or to the Local 1995 mail list serve that is monitored by bargaining team members. There is a rich text format (RTF) copy of the full tentative agreement attached to this article. RTF is (generally) a universal Internet language that anyone should be able to download. We will post a PDF version of the document soon.

For more information on the strike, the MESD Lawsuit or to donate to the strike fund visit...
http://www.oregonafscme.com/