FeedsDistricts hope to learn from Wayne-Westland troubles
As educators and labor officials from school districts throughout southeastern Michigan observed the Wayne-Westland Community School District “work stoppage,” officials with the Plymouth-Canton Schools hope for a much different climate when contract negotiations begin in next month.
“We have a different set of issues. (Wayne-Westland) uses traditional bargaining, we use interest based,” said Chuck Portelli, the president of the Plymouth-Canton Education Association, the labor unit representing the 1100 elementary, middle and high school teachers of the district.
Interest based bargaining or integrative bargaining is a multiple issue technique that concentrates on cultivating a mutually beneficial deal based on the interest and needs of both the school district and the educators by focusing on items each groups wants.
The result, according to both school district and labor officials, is relative labor peace within the district for the past several years since using the negotiation tactic.
‘We’ve always had a good relationship with our unions. It’s a credit to union and a credit to us,” said Frank Ruggirello, the community relations director for the district.”
Ruggirello said the district has not been inundated with calls from parents from the Canton area who have children attending classes in the Wayne-Westland district.
While living in Canton, some students are ineligible to go to the Plymouth-Canton schools due to school district mapping set years ago. Students from Canton also attend school in the Van Buren School District.
“The argument we hear from parents (living within the Wayne-Westland district) is that we live in Canton we should be able to go to school in Canton. But that’s not going to happen,” said Ruggirello.
While not always getting all that they wanted, Portelli said the union negotiations with former Schools Superintendent Jim Ryan were cordial and fair. He is looking forward to continuing the negotiation tradition with new school chief Craig Fiegel.
“We’ve developed a good relationship. If we get to where (Wayne-Westland) is, it would feel different now.”
