Beloit Education Association Rallies for Fair Contract Settlement

UPDATE: On April 18, 2006, the Beloit School Board voted to impose a Qualified Economic Offer on its teachers, resulting in a salary schedule increase of less than 1%. Beloit Education Association President Tim Vedra told the Beloit Daily News: “We feel it's bad faith bargaining. They are the ones who have walked away from the table. The QEO imposition is something we feel is definitely not fair but we will have to live with the board's decision and they will have to live with the consequences of their actions as well.” Vedra said the action team would be meeting to plan strategies for demonstrating the union's dissatisfaction with the board's decision.

Nearly 400 Beloit Education Association members and their supporters rallied outside a school board meeting Tuesday (November 22, 2005) and then filed into the meeting to present a petition supporting a "fair, voluntary contract settlement." The petition was signed by all 565 BEA members.

BEA President Tim Vedra said members are seeking a cost-of-living adjustment, maintenance of existing benefits or adequate compensation in return for any benefit concessions, and no cuts to staffing or working conditions.

Reading from the oversized petition as he and others presented it to school board, Vedra said:

"Over the last 10 years, BEA Members have voluntarily accepted contracts that have caused our salaries to fall well behind the rate of inflation. Additionally, we have voluntarily agreed to significant benefit concessions including increased insurance deductibles, higher prescription drug cards, and our members paying larger portions of their insurance premiums. As our benefits and purchasing power have been reduced from contract to contract, we have continued to work hard to serve the students and community of Beloit. We are justifiably proud of our students, and the contribution that we have made to their futures and the future of our community."

At a rally before the meeting, WEAC Executive Director Dan Burkhalter applauded BEA members for "standing up for yourselves, standing up for children and standing up for the community." WEAC, he said, "supports you every step of the way."

WEAC Collective Bargaining Director Mike McNett pointed to a sign over the entrance to the school district offices indicating the district is "committed to excellence." If they are so committed to excellence, McNett asked, why don't they provide their teachers with a cost-of-living increase, reliable benefits and good working conditions? "You are the ones committed to excellence," he said. "You are right to be here tonight to speak on behalf of yourselves, children and the community."

WEAC members from surrounding communities and associations, including Janesville, Whitewater, Milton, Big Foot, Clinton and the Beloit Turner Education Association, carried signs demonstrating support for the BEA.

The BEA bargaining team is scheduled to meet again with the school board on Tuesday (November 29, 2005).

Many members also brought along coats to donate to the Caritas charity.

Posted November 23, 2005