Hello AMU Members,

 

On February 22, 2018 the AMU Bargaining Committee met with GDPSC management to negotiate the contract.  During the meeting, we discussed the following:

 

Counselor Evaluation:

• Presentation from the Counselor Evaluation Committee-Janet Johnson

• The current version of the CRCF has 13 indicators compared to the previous 22 indicators.

• The data showed that the majority (over 95%) of counselors that took the survey are happy with the CRCF and the cycle of the counselor evaluation. (33/38 counselors completed the survey) “counselors that did the survey want AMU to approve the CRCF”

• Currently the counselor evaluation does not have language about development plans for counselors.  

• Committee is proposing to add language that is similar to the language for a teachers development plan

 

Intellectually Disabled/Adult Transition Class Size:

• AMU tabled discussion on class size caps and ameliatory measures for ID/AT members while we seek feedback from this segment of our membership.

• We want to better understand the issues facing our ID/AT members and what supports they feel can be bargained that would address issues of support, sustainability, and the needs of our students.

• We will reintroduce this topic at our next bargaining session on March 7th, 2018.

 

Leave Provisions:

• AMU and GDPSC management further discussed leave provisions as it pertains to the nature of sick leave and personal necessity leave.

• GDPSC has expressed interest in limiting when and for what our personal necessity leave may be used for.

• This is not an interest of ours and have asked GDPSC to use provisions in the contract that already limit how our members can and cannot use their PNL before making any contract changes.

• AMU wants to keep language in place in our contract that already allows our members to donate sick leave time to colleagues who need additional time for “child bearing preparation and child rearing” (see contract Article 25.7.1.2).

• We want to expand this benefit so it may be used for events other than child bearing preparation and child rearing through a “sick leave donation bank.”

• AMU and GDPSC management continued discussing the creation of a “sick leave donation bank” for use by teachers/counselors suffering from serious or “catastrophic” life events (or whose immediate family members suffer serious/catastrophic life events) that require our members to take leave of absence and exhaust all their paid leave.

• A conversation and agreement on how this “bank” would be administered and which life events would qualify members to receive donations of sick leave is still pending.

 

Compensation:

• AMU has proposed making the 2017-2018 3% off-schedule salary increase permanent

• AMU has also proposed a multi-year compensation increase

 

AMU and GDPSC will be negotiating again on Wednesday, March 7th, 2018.  At that meeting we expect presentations from the Benefits Committee as well as the Evaluations Committee.

 

As always, please e-mail me at bargainingchair@amuanimo.org if you have any questions or concerns.

 

Best,

Ben West