HEA

Dear Members of HEA,

Your HEA Negotiations Team would like to sincerely thank all of you who were able to attend October 1st, Thursday afternoon’s ice cream social and negotiations observation.  Your strong presence in the room sent an encouraging message to the negotiations team and the district that HEA truly does represent the will of its members.  We would also like to thank the members of other local associations who showed up in solidarity, including WEA-Riverside President Norma LaChine, Evergreen Education Association President Rob Lutz, Camas Education Association President Chris Panell,  WEA-Retired President Evelyn Horne, and anyone else who we failed to talk to one-on-one.  Last, but certainly not least, we would also like to thank the members of the Hockinson ESP (classified union) who came to show their support.  We wish them luck in their continued negotiations with the District and will surely stand by their side should the need ever arise.

After nearly ten months of negotiations and one month of working without a contract  we are happy to report that the District and the Association have reached a tentative agreement on a one year deal for the 2015-2016 school year.

This tentative agreement is not ratified until you, the members, vote to ratify it.  Therefore, we request that you plan on joining us after collaboration next Wednesday, October 7 in your various buildings to vote “yes” or “no” on the proposed agreement.  If we ratify, the agreement will go to the School Board on October 12 for their approval.  If approved, the new collective bargaining agreement will go into effect, with additional pay and benefits being retroactive back to September 1. 

Exact contractual language and changes will be available at the meeting on October 7 for members to review.  However, some general highlights include:
•    2.5% increase in TRI pay, for a total of 11%.  This includes compensation for the additional district-directed collaboration days and a paid grading day for semester break in January. A portion of that increase was included in your September 30 paycheck thanks to an agreement with the union and district. The remainder will show up after ratification, and will be retroactive to September 1.
•    A process for adopting common-sense TPEP (or TEAG, or whatever it’s called this week) protocols and language.
•    Stronger language regarding class size limits, including PE, and overload pay
•    Special Education language
•    Stronger language for handling complaints from parents/students
•    Hiring language that benefits current members

This agreement will also be yet another 1-year agreement (the third one in as many years), meaning your negotiations team will be entering into the process once again after the first of the year to negotiate another agreement for next school year.  We simply could not in good faith enter into a longer-term agreement without a significant upside or incentive for our members to do so, especially in regards to compensation.

As in the past, members of the Negotiations Team will continue to serve on the District Communications Team so that any questions on contract language and interpretation can be discussed by members who were in the room and can put the language into the context in which it was intended.  Please feel free to discuss any questions regarding contract with them.

Thank you once again for your support of your Negotiations Team, and your support of your Hockinson Education Association.  It is an honor and a privilege to represent you, the hard-working professional educators of this district, and we hope that you can be proud of the work that we have done on your behalf.

Sincerely,

Corey McEnry, HHS
Ketti West, HMS (formerly HHS)
Kristin Elgin, HMS
Anna-Melissa Lyons, HMS
Megan Miles, HHES
Nancy O’Neill-Bratt, HHES
Lynn Davidson, WEA-Riverside