Labor strife hits San Mateo-Foster City Elementary School District

The declaration marks the latest chapter of dysfunctional negotiations experienced by the two sides, as MacArthur noted the need for intervention is becoming a seemingly annual need. Despite disillusionment with the process, MacArthur said union members are hopeful a third party will help establish some momentum toward productive negotiations.

“This is incredibly exhausting. It is demoralizing. And I don’t know what it will take for a cultural shift,” she said.

District spokeswoman Amber Farinha said in an email administrators issued final proposal last week. And in lieu of the union accepting the offer, officials hope a mediator can help the two sides build consensus.

“We look forward to continuing to work with SMETA to settle the contract,” said Farinha, noting the two sides have made some progress in negotiations over the last year.

The loggerheads reached during negotiations follow another similar contentious round of contract talks last year, when a disagreement loomed for nearly 500 days and teachers discussed a potential strike.

An agreement was finally reached after a round of fact finding, and teachers were granted salary increases that included 5 percent retroactive to July 1, 2016, and 3 percent retroactive to July 1, 2017, along with increases to both teacher stipends and to the hourly pay rate for supplemental work. Teachers earned an average of $76,139 last year, according to the state Department of Education.

Amidst the ongoing discussions, MacArthur said a central source of the disagreement is the union seeking a 3 percent raise, some of which would be possible through $10 million in revenue generated by a $298 parcel tax floated to the fall ballot. As it stands, she said officials are only offering a 2 percent raise. 

For her part, MacArthur expressed disillusionment about the inability to come to an agreement when the two sides are seemingly so close.

“Why we couldn’t make any movement over 1 percent, I have no idea,” she said. “It really does seem to me they are just looking to wear us down.”

Officials have said the tax revenue is needed to fill a $5 million budget gap, and the school board is expected later this week to discuss spending reductions potentially needed to balance the books.

All told, teachers are seeking a 4 percent increase in compensation which educators claim will help them better afford the high cost of living near the schools where they work.

Teachers are also frustrated with the district’s interest in taking the potential tax revenue away from their salary schedule following the measure’s expiration in 9 years, should it pass. And the two sides are at odds over the district’s management strategy for collaboration and professional development time, said MacArthur.

Looking ahead, MacArthur said she is uncertain when the mediator is expected to intervene, but suggested it is unlikely to occur before the November election. In the meanwhile, she said teachers may increase their activism during upcoming school board meetings, in an effort to persuade officials to ramp up their bargaining efforts.

As it relates to the election, MacArthur said the union is yet to adopt a position regarding whether to endorse the parcel tax proposal, but suggested educators don’t take issue with the measure as much as the proposed allocation methods.

“We are not opposed to Measure V,” she said, referring to the tax. “We don’t have an issue with the language, but we have an issue with the way the district bargains and thus an issue with the way the are currently proposing to implement Measure V.”

Yet despite her frustration, MacArthur said she is reserving some optimism that the two sides may be able to build some consensus and reach an agreement in the near future.

“They could still come to their senses and I am optimistic they will find their way to making better choices,” she said.

austin@smdailyjournal.com

(650) 344-5200 ext. 105

Note to readers: this article has been amended to accurately reflect details of the negotiations over salary increases.