The EVSC decision to walk away from negotiations with corporation employees on June 30, 2015 shows how extreme the assault on workers bargaining rights has become.
The EVSC has refused to conduct further negotiations with IBT 215 because the union would not agree to school corporation proposals dealing with union security and the grievance procedure. With respect to the grievance procedure, EVSC reportedly has refused to continue negotiations with Teamsters Local 215 because the employees want to preserve the right to have an independent arbitrator determine the final disposition of employee grievances. Arbitration as a final step of the grievance procedure is a fundamental contract provision and is common in both the private and public sector.
EVSC wants to strip arbitration rights and have the School Board become the final arbiter of all employee grievances. This is the same School Board that already seems to rubber stamp Administration decisions.  This type of proposal is union busting at its core. If management takes action against an employee, the employee appeal should not be limited to the one who took the action in the first place.
Basic fairness calls for an independent arbitrator to determine the outcome of employee grievances. Sadly, the EVSC Board seems to have taken a cue from the Indiana State Legislature with respect to the assault on collective bargaining rights in public education.
Tri-State Jobs With Justice stands with IBT Local 215. We ask the members of the EVSC Board to stop the union busting and to bargain in good faith with IBT Local 215.
Tri-State Jobs With Justice is an organization that brings together labor, education, community and faith voices to protect and advance the rights of working people in the Tri-State.
FOOTNOTE: THIS ARTICLE WAS POSTED WITHOUT BIAS, OPINON OR EDITING.
Bargaining in good faith does not seem to be a concept that Dr. Smith and his board can grasp. We had the chance to change that last November, but we failed.
Dr. Smith’s father must have been a union member like Jim Tomes and Larry Bucshon’s were.
Evidently whenever you get an ass whoopin from a union member it may not make a man out of you but it damn sure turns you into a Republican…..
Drivel Post, Regulator ,—really nothing more than a snide remark, that confirms you bias, and does nothing in relation to taking Smith and HIS board to task for their unreasonable stance.
Thank you so much for your support! You’ve hit the nail on the head!
I saw two photos and they made me think about the recent breakdowns in contract negotiations between the EVSC and Teamsters
Local 215. The sign photo makes it seem as though EVSC works easily and well with the community. If I’m not mistaken the Teamsters’ members are, and have been, a vital part of the Evansville community for many years. The lack of willingness to negotiate with them is certainly not community oriented. The other photo seems to reference some sort of working relationship, which is obviously not the case anymore, if it ever was.
I understand the EVSC School Board has indicated that the current Teamsters contract includes a miniscule segment that is “illegal.”
Apparently, the answer to that is for the EVSC School Board to demand the Teamsters bow to their ultimatums, without further negotiations. If that’s not “Union Busting,” I don’t know what is!
The EVSC is the third largest school corporation in Indiana, behind Indianapolis Public Schools and Fort Wayne Community Schools. The
Indianapolis Public Schools and Fort Wayne Community Schools both have contracts with union representation for similar staff. Both of these school corporations, which are each larger than EVSC, have successfully negotiated contracts with a union, albeit, not the
Teamsters, but still a union. I’m almost certain that if our state’s capitol city school system can have union representation for its staff, then it’s definitely possible for Evansville to do the same, without putting anybody in jeopardy, as has been stated several times by the EVSC School Board! And to know that the largest and second largest school systems in the state both have union representation for similar positions makes me wonder why the EVSC is so determined to, seemingly, do away with the union here.
Thank you SO much for the support. It is quite simply about fairness, and respecting the employees wishes. They voted overwhelmingly for representation and Dr. Smith said he would honor the vote.
I am so concerned that Dr. Smith and some board members want to continue down the road of destroying the morale of the very folks they need to keep the schools running smoothly. When people feel respected and appreciated they go beyond the call of duty!
If the school board has hired an attorney who is clearly trying to bust the union, why would the school board be trusted to be a fair and unbiased arbitrator?
Doctor Smith and his Board need to go back to the table and give a shot at bargaining in good faith. The Union Employees deserve to be treated better than the the way they are being treated. EVSC Union Employees do a very Professional Job at all the Jobs that they do. Doctor Smith and his Board might need to go in front of some type Board with only one four star school.
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