Ladies and Gentlemen, We Have a Contract

Hello MLEA Members,

This past Tuesday, July 15th, we had our final round of negotiations with the school district, and we've finished up the proposed contract for the next three years. It was a great discussion about how to improve what is already a very good document, and all of us on the Bargaining Team would like to thank Dr. Veltri and the administrative staff for the dialogue.

I'll be posting more details about the new contract on the website in the coming weeks, and at the staff breakfast on August 27th we'll vote on ratifying.

As the lead negotiator I'd like to give special thanks to Cheryl Spilker for her calm perspective, Sharon Smith for her great ideas, and Melanie Kilgore for her energy and thoughtfulness. A first-time team member was Sheila Overman from Hallett, and her eloquence in speaking about special ed issues really helped to move the conversation forward. Tim Martin, Tina Evans, and Vikki Hernvall did a great job representing the high school. Thanks as well to Terry King for keeping me honest and Sam Peterson for running the numbers like a pro, as well as Wendy Stewart offering her presidential perspective.

A big "Thank you!" also goes out to Carol Tyson, an ex-officio member of the team who was always there to lend an ear when we needed to bounce ideas off of someone.

Should you have any questions about the process please feel free to contact the Bargaining Team member from your building, or your local MLEA Exec Board member.

What's New With Bargaining?

This past weekend Diana Nicely, Tina Evans, Melanie Kilgore, Wendy Stewart, Terry King, and Ryan Grant all attended the Eastern Regional Bargaining Conference in Moses Lake. It was a very good conference that lead to a ton of discussion; the best part comes in hearing what the other locals around the state are doing and thinking about how the work they've done can benefit us.

We followed that up by attending a Beginning Bargaining Skills workshop at the WEA-Eastern office where we talked about strategies for successful negotiating, as well as the basics of table behavior. They served bake potatoes, and that's all it takes for me to call it a good day.

Bottom line, the team is working hard! We've identified a couple of key areas that we'll be focusing on, and our clear number one priority that we refuse to give on is....certainly not going to get posted on the internet. ;-)

Please always remember that the members of your bargaining team are always happy to listen to the questions and comments you have. It's your input that allows us to be successful; please share!

The 2008 Bargaining Team members are:

Medical Lake Elementary: Wendy Stewart, Lisa Dunlop, Jamie Meyers
Hallett Elementary: Sheila Overman, Cheryl Spilker
Anderson Elementary: Melanie Kilgore, Ryan Grant
Medical Lake Middle School: Terry King, Sam Peterson
Medical Lake High School: Vikki Hernvall, Tim Martin
Student Services: Holly Smith, Tina Evans