MADISON, Wis. — The Madison School District teachers’ union filed a lawsuit against the district Wednesday as it seeks an interpretation of language in individual contracts.
According to a news release, the contracts are required by state law to be issued by May 15 of each year and must define the employee’s salary for the 2021-22 school year.
Madison Teachers Incorporated said while the district issued contracts by the May 15 deadline, they said they contain “inconsistent and contradictory terms defining salaries.” MTI said the contracts said employees will be paid their current salary in one part, but in another part, it said there would be scheduled pay increases.
MTI said it hopes the court will declare the contracts provide for the scheduled pay increases, which were previously adopted and authorized by the school board.
The release said MTI tried to correct the contracts through meetings and a formal grievance, but was not able to.
“Like so many of us, educators, including MTI members, have experienced the most trying year in memory,” the release said. “During the 2020-21 school year, they taught and supported the children of the District first in community centers, virtually, and then pivoted to hybrid and in-person learning, even before vaccines against COVID-19 were available to most of them.”
“As if this were not enough, administrators have engaged in communications perceived by the union to be aimed at disrupting relationships between the union and its members.”
MTI said the district re-issued a second round of contracts to all salaried employees with new language that was rejected by MTI several weeks before May 15.
“To send out contracts that were not agreed upon by both sides highlights that lack of collaboration,” said MTI President Michael Jones. “The District’s failure to address and resolve the contradictions within the issued contracts, which leaves educators uncertain about what they are being offered in compensation for the upcoming school year, sows more uncertainty after a year of constant trauma and unrest.”
COPYRIGHT 2021 BY CHANNEL 3000. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
