Educational Assistants Settle Contract in Madison

Negotiators for the Madison Metropolitan School District and Madison Teachers Inc. have reached tentative agreement on a 1998-2000 collective bargaining agreement covering the 500 educational assistants employed by the district to assist teachers in providing instruction and assistance to handicapped children.

This is the third consecutive contract voluntarily agreed upon between MTI and the district without use of a mediator.

The educational assistants' contract settlement includes a 3.0% salary increase in the first year of the contract and a compressed salary schedule to take effect the second year of the contract. The compressed salary schedule is intended to help address the chronic turnover problem experienced with these positions by increasing the hiring rate and accelerating advancement through the salary schedule.

Wages will increase an average of $1.00 per hour over the two-year agreement. In addition to wages, the tentative agreement includes increased training opportunities, an additional paid holiday, improved retirement insurance benefits and - building on the success of previous cooperative efforts - creation of a joint labor-management committee to explore methods to encourage and reward educational assistants for continuous skill improvement.

Members of the union negotiating team described the contract negotiations as creative, respectful and productive.

Posted December 2, 1998