Newark Teachers Association
Encyclopedia
The Newark Teachers Association (NTA), headquartered in Union City, California
, is the trade union
representing teachers
and other certificated employees of the Newark Unified School District in Newark, California
. The Association represents approximately 400 members. NTA is affiliated with the California Teachers Association
(CTA) and the National Education Association
(NEA). NTA was formed in 1969 when the teachers of Newark voted to leave the American Federation of Teachers
(AFT) and become a CTA affiliate.
. It also votes on whether or not to bring issues or other items to the Representative Council.
The Board is composed of a President
, a Vice President
, a Secretary
, a Treasurer
, a high school director, a junior high school director, two elementary school directors, an alternative education
/special education
director, a State Council representative, and a CTA field representative.
Members of the Executive Board, with the exception of the State Council representative and the CTA field representative, are elected annually through a series of voting meetings at individual school sites, or at an annual general meeting
of the Association. The State Council representative is elected by the union to a three-year term while the CTA field representative is appointed by the California Teachers Association.
The 2008-2009 NTA Executive Board has the following members:
Chris Baugh, President
Bryan Blattel, Vice President
Dana Ratto, Secretary
Patrick Brose, Treasurer
Jacob Goldsmith, High School Director
Tracy Green, Junior High School Director
Sue Bohmann, Elementary Director
Sharon Blattel, Elementary Director
Shannon Johns, Alternative Education/Special Education Director
Bryan Blattel, State Council Representative
Phyllis Grenier, Past President
Theo Austin-Smyth, CTA Field Representative
Collectively, the Council decides on non-confidential items that generally impact the entire Association. Such items typically include raising union dues, approving leaflets or flyers to be distributed to unit members, recommending changes in insurance, recommending approval or disapproval of contract agreements, and other items that require a vote of the entire membership of the Association.
This two-body governing system is similar to the bicameral legislature
used by the United States Congress
.
This issue arose early in NTA's history. NTA was originally affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers
(AFT) but decided to ultimately join CTA. As a result, department chairpersons elected to remain with AFT and leave the Association via a grandfather clause for the main point that they were exempt from paying NTA/CTA/NEA dues. Since then, AFT ultimately removed itself from all Newark teachers and the department chairs have gone unrepresented since. NTA also attributes part of this problem to the fact that the American Federation of Teachers is AFL-CIO
affiliated unlike the independent National Education Association.
Negotiations reached an impasse
in late August 2005, as the school district was not prepared to give teachers the raise they were asking for without the Association agreeing to raise class sizes. The previous agreement from 2004 had stated that total student contacts would not exceed 150 per day, which the District wanted to increase. The Association, which refused to agree to this at the time, had begun organizing and mobilizing for a potential strike
as talks entered mediation
. Shortly thereafter, the District claimed it had reworked its budget and was prepared to return to the bargaining table.
A tentative agreement on a multi-year contract good through 2007 was reached in late November between the parties, thus averting a strike. The Association agreed to accept an increase in the daily student contact limit from 150 to 155 in exchange for a maximum class size cap of 34 per individual class. Also, the District agreed to raise teacher salaries an average of 4.92 percent. The range in increases was from 0.35 percent to 10.13 percent because the parties had also agreed to restructure the system by which teachers are paid. 96 percent of the Association's membership approved the agreement.
After several meetings between the parties, a tentative agreement was reached without impasse on September 13, 2007 which included a state allocated cost-of-living wage adjustment during each year of the agreement. Many articles of the agreement were also rewritten and reorganized. The agreement was ratified in October 2007 by a 97 percent approval vote of the NTA membership. The Newark Unified School District ratified the agreement on October 31, 2007 at a special meeting of the Board of Education.
The agreement, effective through 2010, marks one of the first times in a decade that an agreement was reached without any impasse or deadlock between the parties.
Union City, California
Union City is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It was incorporated in 1959, combining the communities of Alvarado and Decoto. Alvarado was the original county seat of Alameda County, and the site of the first county courthouse is a California Historical Landmark . The city...
, is the trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
representing teachers
Teachers
Teachers may refer to:* Teachers, people who provide schooling for pupils and students* Teachers , one of the five Ascension Gift Ministries* Teachers , a British sitcom* Teachers Teachers may refer to:* Teachers, people who provide schooling for pupils and students* Teachers (ministry), one of the...
and other certificated employees of the Newark Unified School District in Newark, California
Newark, California
Newark is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It was incorporated as a city in September 1955. Newark is an enclave, completely surrounded by the city of Fremont. Its population was 42,573 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
. The Association represents approximately 400 members. NTA is affiliated with the California Teachers Association
California Teachers Association
The California Teachers Association , initially established in 1863 as the California Educational Society, is by far the largest teachers' union in the state of California. It is considered by many to be the most powerful union in California...
(CTA) and the National Education Association
National Education Association
The National Education Association is the largest professional organization and largest labor union in the United States, representing public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college students preparing to become...
(NEA). NTA was formed in 1969 when the teachers of Newark voted to leave the American Federation of Teachers
American Federation of Teachers
The American Federation of Teachers is an American labor union founded in 1916 that represents teachers, paraprofessionals and school-related personnel; local, state and federal employees; higher education faculty and staff, and nurses and other healthcare professionals...
(AFT) and become a CTA affiliate.
Governance
The Newark Teachers Association is directly governed by two bodies, an executive board and a representative council.Executive Board
The Executive Board is the chief governing body of the Association. The Board is responsible for the oversight and general functionality of the Association. It oversees and acts upon confidential matters, including the handling of a filed grievanceGrievance
A grievance is a wrong or hardship suffered, which is the grounds of a complaint.-History and politics:A grievance may arise from injustice or tyranny, and be cause for rebellion or revolution....
. It also votes on whether or not to bring issues or other items to the Representative Council.
The Board is composed of a President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
, a Vice President
Vice president
A vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president...
, a Secretary
Secretary
A secretary, or administrative assistant, is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication & organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit...
, a Treasurer
Treasurer
A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The adjective for a treasurer is normally "tresorial". The adjective "treasurial" normally means pertaining to a treasury, rather than the treasurer.-Government:...
, a high school director, a junior high school director, two elementary school directors, an alternative education
Alternative education
Alternative education, also known as non-traditional education or educational alternative, includes a number of approaches to teaching and learning other than mainstream or traditional education. Educational alternatives are often rooted in various philosophies that are fundamentally different...
/special education
Special education
Special education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials,...
director, a State Council representative, and a CTA field representative.
Members of the Executive Board, with the exception of the State Council representative and the CTA field representative, are elected annually through a series of voting meetings at individual school sites, or at an annual general meeting
Annual general meeting
An annual general meeting is a meeting that official bodies, and associations involving the public , are often required by law to hold...
of the Association. The State Council representative is elected by the union to a three-year term while the CTA field representative is appointed by the California Teachers Association.
The 2008-2009 NTA Executive Board has the following members:
Chris Baugh, President
Bryan Blattel, Vice President
Dana Ratto, Secretary
Patrick Brose, Treasurer
Jacob Goldsmith, High School Director
Tracy Green, Junior High School Director
Sue Bohmann, Elementary Director
Sharon Blattel, Elementary Director
Shannon Johns, Alternative Education/Special Education Director
Bryan Blattel, State Council Representative
Phyllis Grenier, Past President
Theo Austin-Smyth, CTA Field Representative
Representative Council
The Representative Council consists of individual site representatives from each school. The number of representatives a site has on the Council is proportional to the number of represented union members at that site. According to the agreement between the Newark Unified School District and the Association, each site is entitled one site representative for every 25 union members represented. If a school has less than 25 members, one site representative may be elected from that school.Collectively, the Council decides on non-confidential items that generally impact the entire Association. Such items typically include raising union dues, approving leaflets or flyers to be distributed to unit members, recommending changes in insurance, recommending approval or disapproval of contract agreements, and other items that require a vote of the entire membership of the Association.
This two-body governing system is similar to the bicameral legislature
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
used by the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
.
Representation problems
To date, the Newark Teachers Association is one of the only teacher associations in the nation where individual department chairpersons are not represented by the Association. The Association has tried to organize several times to incorporate department chairpersons into the Association, but all measures have failed since the incorporation of NTA into CTA.This issue arose early in NTA's history. NTA was originally affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers
American Federation of Teachers
The American Federation of Teachers is an American labor union founded in 1916 that represents teachers, paraprofessionals and school-related personnel; local, state and federal employees; higher education faculty and staff, and nurses and other healthcare professionals...
(AFT) but decided to ultimately join CTA. As a result, department chairpersons elected to remain with AFT and leave the Association via a grandfather clause for the main point that they were exempt from paying NTA/CTA/NEA dues. Since then, AFT ultimately removed itself from all Newark teachers and the department chairs have gone unrepresented since. NTA also attributes part of this problem to the fact that the American Federation of Teachers is AFL-CIO
AFL-CIO
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, commonly AFL–CIO, is a national trade union center, the largest federation of unions in the United States, made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 11 million workers...
affiliated unlike the independent National Education Association.
2005 contract negotiations
The issue of teachers' salaries was reopened by the Association in 2005, while the District decided to reopen class size. Teachers had initially asked for a 4.23 percent raise, equal to the state-allocated cost-of-living wage adjustment.Negotiations reached an impasse
Impasse
A bargaining impasse occurs when the two sides negotiating an agreement are unable to reach an agreement and become deadlocked. An impasse is almost invariably mutually harmful, either as a result of direct action which may be taken such as a strike in employment negotiation or sanctions/military...
in late August 2005, as the school district was not prepared to give teachers the raise they were asking for without the Association agreeing to raise class sizes. The previous agreement from 2004 had stated that total student contacts would not exceed 150 per day, which the District wanted to increase. The Association, which refused to agree to this at the time, had begun organizing and mobilizing for a potential strike
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
as talks entered mediation
Mediation
Mediation, as used in law, is a form of alternative dispute resolution , a way of resolving disputes between two or more parties. A third party, the mediator, assists the parties to negotiate their own settlement...
. Shortly thereafter, the District claimed it had reworked its budget and was prepared to return to the bargaining table.
A tentative agreement on a multi-year contract good through 2007 was reached in late November between the parties, thus averting a strike. The Association agreed to accept an increase in the daily student contact limit from 150 to 155 in exchange for a maximum class size cap of 34 per individual class. Also, the District agreed to raise teacher salaries an average of 4.92 percent. The range in increases was from 0.35 percent to 10.13 percent because the parties had also agreed to restructure the system by which teachers are paid. 96 percent of the Association's membership approved the agreement.
2007 contract negotiations
In March 2007, the Newark Teachers Association and the Newark Unified School District began negotiations for a successor agreement to the expired 2005-2007 collective bargaining agreement. This marked the first time in three years that the entire contract, cover-to-cover, was reopened.After several meetings between the parties, a tentative agreement was reached without impasse on September 13, 2007 which included a state allocated cost-of-living wage adjustment during each year of the agreement. Many articles of the agreement were also rewritten and reorganized. The agreement was ratified in October 2007 by a 97 percent approval vote of the NTA membership. The Newark Unified School District ratified the agreement on October 31, 2007 at a special meeting of the Board of Education.
The agreement, effective through 2010, marks one of the first times in a decade that an agreement was reached without any impasse or deadlock between the parties.