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Head Start workers enter mediation By JONEL ALECCIA More than a year after Southern Oregon Head Start workers joined a union, a federal mediator has been called in to help negotiate contract salaries and benefits. Mediation commissioner Connie Wimer will lead talks in Medford April 26 and 27 between the agency and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Teachers, assistants, cooks, bus drivers and administration staff tentatively have asked for a 5 percent pay raise and extension of health care benefits to family members, said Ken Spray, a representative for the AFSCME. Alan Berlin, executive director of Head Start, said a recent federal cost-of-living wage increase amounted to 3.5 percent. He said he wouldn't rule out increases, but he declined to discuss specific details. "I'm not going to bargain this contract in the newspaper," he said. Berlin is scheduled to present an initial offer to union representatives Monday. Representatives from both sides stressed Tuesday that discussions between agency management and AFSCME remain friendly. "Neither one of us has declared an impasse," said Spray. "This is not disrespectful to the other side by any means." Berlin said the services of a federal mediator would help first-time contract talks proceed smoothly. "It's not like we're not moving along. We're moving along pretty well, I think," Berlin said. "We're not bringing in a federal mediator because we're miles apart." At least one employee expressed frustration that contract negotiations have taken so long. Workers approved unionization by a 134-42 vote in March 2000; contract talks began in May. "What I'm hearing is they're just stalling and stalling," said Sue Lopez, a Head Start family advocate. "It's a tactic of taking forever. There's just five weeks left of school." Some Head Start workers looked to a union contract as a guarantee of job security over the summer months, when the agency is closed. Typically, workers don't know from spring until late summer whether they'll be employed for fall. Spray said contract negotiations have gone slowly in part because union workers were prohibited from attending meetings during work time. Talks have been limited to six to nine hours a month, all held between 6 and 9 p.m. Berlin denied any attempts to delay contract talks. So far, he said, the two sides have negotiated 40 articles of an initial contract. The difficult economic issues remain. "First contracts take a long time," he said. Workers were not permitted to negotiate contracts during working hours because local children and families were dependent upon their services, Berlin added. AFSCME represents some 1.3 million workers nationwide, including 6,500 Head Start employees. Locally, the union represents employees for the city of Medford, the city of Klamath Falls and Josephine County. Head Start, which operates on an annual budget of $7 million, serves more than 900 preschoolers at 24 school sites and in homes. Finding additional money for wages, health insurance and retirement benefits will be tough, Spray acknowledged. Berlin and Spray each expressed hope that the process will go quickly and smoothly. "Both sides are attempting to create a contract that works for our employees, works for our agency and works for our community," Berlin said. Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.