Mat-Su academics union authorizes strike vote

The instructors union for the 2nd-major school district in Alaska authorized a strike vote on Monday.

The Mat-Su Schooling Affiliation, which represents far more than 1,250 lecturers and workers in the Mat-Su Borough School District, is set to start off voting on Wednesday.

The vote does not automatically mean educators will go on strike, but it would give their bargaining crew that avenue, explained Vicki Hewitt, president of the union. She explained the union needs to avoid a strike but “the district and the college board have pressured us into this situation.”

Negotiation difficulties largely surround well being care and wages, in accordance to Hewitt. Just after additional than a 12 months of negotiations, the school district imposed its last finest contract provide on Friday rather than continuing bargaining, in accordance to a launch from the union Monday afternoon.

[A new Mat-Su school district committee will review dozens of challenged library books. Some are already gone.]

Hewitt claimed in an electronic mail the deal provide doesn’t maintain rate with inflation, and would modify existing health and fitness insurance policies plans from an Alaska company to a national company.

“The District’s and faculty board’s action took location ahead of an unbiased arbitrator could render a choice, which could have served solve this concern, undermining the entire procedure of great religion bargaining,” a press launch from the union stated.

The union is expected to give 72 hrs of progress observe if they do intend to strike, Hewitt stated.

“So much there is no scheduled approach for negotiations. We are eager to go to the desk any time they are all set to deal in superior religion,” Hewitt stated in an electronic mail.

The district in a assertion stated the root of negotiation challenges was over wellbeing care vendors.

“The District is employing provisions which include amplified salaries, district funded well being price savings account contributions, Premera overall health coverage selections and other tentative agreements,” the assertion mentioned.

”The District prefers to have a mutually agreed to collective bargaining agreement,” they wrote. “It has tried its utmost to realize an agreed upon CBA but the functions continue being gridlocked on the overall health coverage supplier. The District continues to be committed and prepared to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement with MSEA and is open up to scheduling discussions.”