See You In Court! CABE Monthly Column
“See You In Court!” is written by Thomas Mooney and appears in the CABE Journal, a publication of the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education.
The Nutmeg Board of Education is negotiating with the Nutmeg Union of Teachers (NUTS) this fall for a successor collective bargaining agreement, to be effective July 1, 2027. Ms. Chairperson named a negotiations committee composed of herself, Mal Content, and veteran Board member Bob Bombast, who is serving as Committee Chair for negotiations.
After studying the current contract for much of the summer, Bob had many questions and concerns about the contract, and he brought a long list of proposals to the meeting to prepare for negotiations. However, Ms. Chairperson and Mal did not want to pick a fight with NUTS, and Mal told Bob to relax: “If we don’t like the way things are going, we can always make proposals later.”
At the first meeting between the Board Committee and NUTS, Bruno, chief negotiator for the teachers, presented ground rules that the parties have used in the past. However, Bob was impatient to get started, and he told Bruno that the parties should not get hung up on ground rules and should just get on with it.
“Have it your way,” Bruno responded. He then proceeded to announce that the NUTS team had surveyed the membership and was prepared to present its proposals. “We have been selective, and we have limited our proposals to the changes that we consider essential for the welfare of Nutmeg teachers. Is the Board ready with its proposals?”
Bob responded with uncharacteristic candor. “We are still working that out. For now, we will just hear what you guys have to say.”
Bruno then presented NUTS’ contract proposals, a relatively short list of demands that include more time off, no change in health insurance, and a significant salary increase.
Bob responded on the spot. “Additional time off is a non-starter. The Board’s substitute account is out of control, and more leave time would just make it worse. Don’t waste your breath further – we won’t be negotiating over additional leave time.”
The discussion of salary did not go much better. NUTS proposed a 4% general wage increase plus step movement for each of three years. Bob was irate. “Are you crazy?” he asked rhetorically in response. “Hasn’t NUTS heard about the affordability crisis? The good people of Nutmeg are hurting, and they cannot be expected to pay additional taxes to fund salary increases for teachers. Let’s just go with the current salary schedule and come back next year to see if things are better!”
The Board and NUTS met for negotiations one more time, but the stalemate continued. The Board maintained its position that any salary increases should be deferred until next year, and the Union persisted in its demand for a salary increase and more leave time. At the end of the meeting, Bruno declared impasse. He also accused the Board of bad faith bargaining, and he announced that NUTS has filed a charge with the State Board of Labor Relations. “If we end up in arbitration,” he warned, “we will be asking that the Board pay for our attorneys’ fees as well as the costs of arbitration.”.
Should the Nutmeg Board of Education be worried about Bruno’s threat?
