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Wausau teachers, ESP join together to protest stalled contracts

Members of the Wausau Education Association (WEA) and Wausau Education Support Professionals (WESP) joined together in the very cold weather Monday (December 10, 2007) to protest the school board's refusal to negotiate fair contracts. The WESP has been without a contract since July 2006 and the WEA has been without a contract since July 2007.

At the school board meeting:

A teacher questioned the board as to how the Wausau district will attract the best teachers when it isn't offering the same starting wages as neighboring districts. As she read a list of items supported by teachers, all of the teachers and support staff sitting and standing along the walls in the crowded board room stood up in solidarity and then applauded at the end of her statement.
Maureen Socha, ESP, spoke to the board while holding clear plastic bags labeled with coins in them to show the offers the district has proposed. She said, "To some of you this is spare change, to us, it's our livelihood." She was applauded as well.
Jane Rusch, school board member, asked why the district hired another administrator position and gave him a raise before even starting the job when staff members are without a contract. The crowd applauded her question.

WESP members have not had a contract for 18 months. The union has certified a final offer of a pay increase of 38 cents per hour in 2006-07 and 37 cents in 2007-'08. The district's last offer was for 13 cents and 23 cents. The district also proposed to decrease its contributions toward the insurance premiums by 5% for all three WESP levels with the lowest at 65%. A first-year employee would remain at the lowest level for a year rather than six months.

"We have been very frustrated waiting for the district to certify a final offer so we can go to arbitration," said WESP Secretary Dawn Leslie. "They haven't brought us anything we could live with, and we have wanted to move on with the arbitration process since early June. At this rate, we'll have support staff who will have to write the district a check to work for them if they need insurance. What we are asking for won't even bring us up to a living wage."

– Submitted by Dawn Leslie

Posted December 11, 2007

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