CAT Press Release April 28, 2002

The bargaining team for the Cairo Association of Teachers (CAT) met with the bargaining team for the Cairo Board of Education on Saturday, April 27th, from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. in an effort to resolve the differences that forced teachers to begin walking picket lines last Thursday morning.

The CAT went to the table with an open mind, a desire to successfully bargain a new contract, and a hope that teachers and students could return to classrooms bright and early Monday morning.

Unfortunately, our commitment was NOT matched by the Board of Education. Instead of making new salary proposals and coming up with creative suggestions to address teacher/board financial concerns, the Board of Education team…under the guidance of its attorney, Barney Mundorf…spent its time writing and issuing a press release…a press release designed to prolong the strike rather than ending it. This press release - issued while the CAT was trying to construct a new proposal - reveals the true mind-set of the Board's team. They are NOT interested in getting students back in school; they are intent on devising plans to BREAK THE UNION!

The Board of Education made absolutely NO MOVEMENT on salary yesterday AND introduced a "take-back" on health insurance. This action follows a finding by financial experts - INCLUDING THE BOARD OF EDUCATION'S OWN CPA - that the District DOES HAVE MONEY ($326,000) that can be used to negotiate salary increases this year. (This amount is way above what the CAT has proposed.) In essence, the Board gambled last week that the financial experts would support their "We have no money" claim…they gambled…and lost! Now they are desperately fighting to keep the "pot". This is UNFAIR TO EMPLOYEES AND THE STUDENTS THEY SERVE, students whose education has been unnecessarily disrupted by the Board's false assertions.

The Board of Education claimed falsely in their press release (the day before the strike) that they had given the teachers an average pay raise of $1577. In fact, just as the CAT had said, the Board was actually cutting teacher salaries AND asking them to start paying increased health insurance premiums. Board Attorney Mundorf…after the Board's CPA verified the CAT's financial assessment of the District…AND…AFTER the teachers had been forced to strike…finally put money on the table to increase the Board's offer to a PAY FREEZE. Mr. Mundorf told the CAT bargaining team…AGAIN - AFTER the strike had begun…that he would NOT expect teachers to sign a contract that provided for a pay cut…BUT…that is exactly what the Board was demanding that the teachers accept! It was exactly for that reason that the membership of the CAT was forced to go on strike!

AND NOW…

1. The Board of Education calls in parents of Seniors and 8th Graders…making plans to open school - for them - on April 29th to "take care of students".

CAT Response: This is a blatant PR attempt that ignores the vast majority of students in the Cairo schools.

2. The Board states that administrators will provide instruction to the Seniors and the 8th Graders.

CAT Response: This is a BAD IDEA for many reasons:

a. Administrators are not necessarily qualified to teach the subject(s) that they will be asked to teach.

b. The Board of Education is now putting its principals on the front line of a labor dispute - pitting principals against teachers. This runs the risk of creating hard feelings between people who work TOGETHER on a day-to-day basis to educate the children of Cairo School District Number One. This is educationally unsound - a counter-productive public relations ploy…a blatant attempt to put pressure on teachers in order to BREAK THE UNION.

c. This action by the Board of Education totally ignores the educational requirements of special needs students.

It would in the best interests of all…ESPECIALLY THE CHILDREN…for the Board of Education to stop playing games, return to the table for serious negotiations, and get qualified teachers back in the classrooms.