Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Emergency Services Medford MLK Jr. celebration: "Progress is not inevitable" Talent Elementary students learn to tinker Effort underway to find photos of those who died in Vietnam, including 35 from Jackson County Restaurant Inspections Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency Services Emergency Services Former youth pastor arrested on burglary, privacy invasion Emergency services Attorney general's decision would limit federal sharing of asset forfeitures Politics and Elections Oregon Legislature convenes, session starts Feb. 12 Councilman stirs online dust-up with anti-marijuana post Education Talent Elementary students learn to tinker Local elementary and middle school students qualify for state chess championships Unfair labor complaint against Medford School District resolved Arsonist attempts to burn down building at Jackson Elementary Not as ready as they should be Environment Grant will help restore "legacy" oak habitat south of Ashland New wandering wolf arrives in Southern Oregon OR-7 now officially the leader of his pack Ashland trails up for changes Monument expansion expected to increase tourism, protect resources State News Oregon lawmakers start drafting pot bills 12 injured in massive I-84 crash in eastern Oregon Oregon man reveled in Cuba trip Dancers: Strip club owes us wages 'Wild' author wows overflow crowd Nation - World Obituaries Harold Ray Fisher Louise K. Snow Frank Jarosz RENETTA �RENIE� MARIE JOHNSON Alveriah L. (Canamore) Dreiszus Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Shareable In memoriam: 2014’s notable deaths Looking back: Do you remember 2014’s biggest stories? Sports Latest Stories Patriots punch Super Bowl ticket with rout Spurs lock down Jazz Walker wins Sony Open by record nine strokes Fight and flight Oregon receiver to transfer Varsity 541 College Sports Oregon receiver to transfer OSU Ownership Raider women end four-year drought at OIT No. 4 Duke dominates No. 6 Louisville Hamblin powers No. 9 Beavers past Cougars Pro Sports Patriots punch Super Bowl ticket with rout Spurs lock down Jazz Walker wins Sony Open by record nine strokes Fight and flight Blazers drop third straight in Memphis Community Sports Business Latest Stories Business Briefs Blog: 1-800 Flowers on New York's Best Companies to Work for list; Harry & David you're on the clock Swanson to rebuild Springfield plywood mill Blog: Choose Magnificence Ride & Drive: 2015 Cadillac Escalade Real Estate News Home loan rates continue to fall, applications soar Jackson County real estate market headed back to normal Dear Monty: Best start for 1st-time homebuyers People In Business Transportation Medford airport traffic flies to new heights Agriculture Rising prices bear fruit for local pear growers Opinion Latest Our View: Oregon students need job skills training Letters to the Editor, Jan. 18 Dana Milbank: The Chamber of Commerce's short memory Obama: Charlie who? A fair shot for all: addressing our low-wage crisis Editorials Our View: Oregon students need job skills training Other Views: Klamath water deal is best available Our View: Avoid overreacting to legal marijuana Our View: School district plan deserves a chance Our View: Cheers and Jeers Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Jan. 18 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 16 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 15 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 14 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 13 Guest Opinions A fair shot for all: addressing our low-wage crisis Guest Opinion: SOU biomass burner would be big mistake Guest Opinion: Reforms needed to build upon John Day’s success Guest Opinion: FERC fails our planet Guest Opinion: East is east and west is west Lifestyle Latest stories Southern Oregon Journal: Birthdays are for Celebrating Restaurant Inspections Methow Suite Not waiting for others to change the world Power of touch: A hand up from my grandson Food Restaurant Inspections Community blog: This pureed vegetable soup has a bit of a bite How to make vegetable stock — and why you should Valley View — It's all in the family Gail Ciampa: Modern quiche meets ancient grain Home and Garden Dear Monty: Consider mediation in real estate disputes Home Help: Heighten your home’s style this year 11 reasons why we love wrought iron fencing Dear Monty: Eight great tips to ponder before investing in real estate Home Help: Timeless or trendy? Achieve both in your home decor this year Health Dr. Jeff Hersh: Heart test causes undue alarm Dr. Murray Feingold: How reliable is the medical information we read? Health Watch: Get abs in the a.m. Community blog: The �Art of Being Alone� Community blog: HOME TOURS R US Hiking Biking Faith Religion briefs Old stained-glass windows face threats Churches start new year with messages of hope (No heading) Milestones and Achievements 50 years and counting: Bulebar Wedding: Lindsey-Maria Rios New arrivals Since You Asked: Sheriff's Office sells off foreclosed homes Mt. Ashland Ski Area shut down again by lack of snow Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Review: Biegel brings fire to Grieg Live Music in Local Clubs Cheeseburgers on the cheap A look at the life and vision of Martin Luther King Jr. Rogue Valley Symphony's concerts take listeners to China and Persia Theater Thanks for the Memories Theatre presents 'Cardenio' Thanks for the Memories Theatre presents 'Rent' Tangled up in Dylan OSF's 'Great Society' up for Kennedy Prize Next Stage presents a tribute to an iconic folk artist Music Review: Biegel brings fire to Grieg Live Music in Local Clubs Yuval Ron Trio at Unitarian Fellowship Rogue Valley Symphony's concerts take listeners to China and Persia 'Sonida alegre' Community Events A look at the life and vision of Martin Luther King Jr. Ty Barnett and Ian Harris are 'Divided' Elaine Witteveen's new exhibit 'Wings' opens at the Rogue Gallery Art Presence showcases 'Naked Art' New Schneider Museum exhibits highlight First Friday Dining Cheeseburgers on the cheap Valley View — It's all in the family Patty Groth's Morning Glory is still a delight Entertaining with a gift of treasure Jackson Creek Pizza Co. is a good downtown haunt Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW Medford MLK Jr. celebration: "Progress is not inevitable" ... Talent Elementary students learn to tinker ... Our View: Oregon students need job skills training ... Medford MLK Jr. celebration: "Progress is not inevitable" ... Talent Elementary students learn to tinker ... Our View: Oregon students need job skills training ... EDUCATION Unfair labor complaint against Medford School District resolved Comment By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Posted Jan. 16, 2015 @ 4:15 pm By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Posted Jan. 16, 2015 @ 4:15 pm » Social News On Christmas Eve, the Medford School District paid about 620 Medford teachers their cut of a $345,067 settlement to an unfair labor practice complaint filed by the teachers union in October 2013. Oregon’s Employment Relations Board issued a final order in August stating the district had violated the memorandum of agreement included in the 2011-13 contract with the Medford Education Association, as the complaint had alleged. The agreement recognized that teachers had lost eight work days and the corresponding compensation and stipulated that if the district received additional funding, then those days and teachers’ salaries would be restored in the subsequent year. “Times were bad then, and we were looking at cuts because funding was not increasing,” said Brad Earl, the district’s chief financial officer. “The MOA said what would happen if we got more money than we thought we were going to get.” Unfortunately, the document was poorly worded and confusing, district and union officials said Thursday. The district added back four days in the 2012-13 school year. And when the district received an additional $1.533 million from the state in May 2013, it was still negotiating a successor contract with the union and did not immediately add back days or the corresponding salaries. The parties were still negotiating the contract in October when the union filed the complaint and finally arrived at an agreement early in 2014, following an 11-day teachers strike. The 2013-16 contract added an additional four days to the calendar and increased the teachers’ wages accordingly. It costs about $350,000 a day for the school district to operate, leaving about $133,000 of the $1.533 million up for dispute. In August, the Employment Relations Board concluded that the district had violated the terms of the 2011 agreement, which the district didn't dispute, but agreed the language was ambiguous, “susceptible to more than one plausible interpretation.” The board gave the union and district 60 days to “bargain in good faith” over the amount still owed teachers. “It was a confusing document, and they encouraged us, obviously, to get back in the room and resolve it or else they would have to make the decision for us,” Earl said. District and union officials exchanged proposals, used an Employment Relations Board mediator and met face-to-face. But, at the end of the 60 days, they still hadn't settled on an amount, so both parties submitted a final proposal to the board for review. Using a formula (Appendix A) prescribed by the Employment Relations Board, the district figured it owed the teachers $49,295.43, and the union calculated that the district owed it $728,993. The formula, Earl said, was carried forward from the 2008-11 contract, which had never been used to resolve a dispute, is no longer in use and was just as confusing as the memorandum of agreement. The board was dissatisfied with both proposals but reasoned that the union’s calculation better reflected “the intent of the MOA and Appendix A formula.” However, it didn't take into consideration the retroactive pay increases the district had already paid union members, so the board subtracted that and ordered that the district pay $345,067 to MEA members. The MEA also asked the Employment Relations Board to order that the district post a notice of the violation, pay a civil penalty and reimburse its filing fees, but all three requests were denied. After hearing the findings Dec. 1, Superintendent Brian Shumate and other district administrators worked with the union to identify which teachers were employed between June 2013 and August 2014 and to what extent they were employed during that time. The impacted, full-time teachers received about $650 each before taxes and withholdings, Earl said. “I think our members were happy to get something,” said MEA President Cheryl Lashley. “It was well-deserved and well fought for.” “The MOA should have been followed from the beginning, but we’re happy it’s behind us now and that we’re moving forward,” she added. The Medford School Board will make the necessary budget amendments at the Jan. 26 board meeting. “It’s my desire to build a collaborative relationship with the MEA, and in the future, we want to have less room for interpretation in our agreements,” said Shumate. “We have great teachers in this district, and I want them to be proud of the district they work in.” Reach education reporter Teresa Thomas at 541-776-4497 or [email protected] . Follow her at www.twitter.com/teresathomas_mt . By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Posted Jan. 16, 2015 @ 4:15 pm » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501