Dearborn Schools, Administrators Reach Contract Agreement

More than a year after its collective bargaining agreement expired with Dearborn Public Schools, members of the Association of Dearborn School Administrators have voted to accept a proposed three-year agreement with the district.

The 63-member ASDA voted overwhelmingly to accept the agreement after the ballots were counted Thursday afternoon, and the final step to implement the agreement will occur Monday night if the Dearborn Public Schools Board of Education votes to accept the contract, said Marc Zigterman, the president of the union.

“We’re glad to have a contract in place, but we’re going to be back at the table to discuss other matters, such as health care,” he said. “We did take a pay cut, but we also have some of the steps back, which helps us a great deal with those cuts.”

Zigterman declined to comment about the breakdown of the vote. The new contract will expire on June 30, 2013, and will be retroactive to June 30, 2010 – the expiration date of the last contract.

In a statement, Dearborn Public Schools Superintendent Brian Whiston said he’s glad both sides reached an agreement.

“It never pleases me to have to cut anyone’s compensation, but from the perspective of getting it done, I’m glad we have it taken care of,” he said. “I just wish the economy was better so we didn’t have to cut people’s pay.”

Agreement includes pay cut

Under the new agreement, union members will accept an 8.1 percent pay cut, but a previous step increase freeze will be lifted to allow administrators to move up the new wage scale. Zigterman said that was an important win for the union because it helps offset the overall wage reduction.

Additionally, the first two wage rungs on the stepladder will be removed, allowing for a more competitive entry-level wage for administrators. Now, new administrators will earn between $79,706 and $96,000 annually, depending on whether they are assigned to elementary, middle or high school. These salaries still represent a pay reduction, however, because of the 8.1 percent cut.

“We were concerned that the first steps were not competitive; years ago we had some of highest wages, but [before this contract], we had some of the lowest,” he said. “It was something that was important to us.”

The district also had a big win on health care costs.

Union members will now pay the difference between the more expensive Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plan and the less expensive Health Maintenance Organization (HMO plan), the latter of which is still free of charge to union members. The move is intended to encourage union members to elect a plan that is less expensive for the district.

The district will benefit from the contract’s implementation, said Whiston.

“We needed to have the whole package,” he said. “This contract represents the shared sacrifice that we’ve asked of all of the bargaining units.”

Other measures on health care will also be ongoing. The union will convene a committee to look at alternatives regarding health care, which will then be assessed by the union and the district.

Contract talks intensified

since the last contract expired, but intensified during the last three months.

The contract does differ significantly from a fact-finder’s report, which was issued earlier this year to help clarify issues for both parties. In that report, the fact-finder recommended that administrators accept a 6.1 percent pay cut for the 2011-12 school year, instead of the 8.1 percent cut requested by the district.

Zigterman said the contract was definitely concessionary in nature, and that both parties are dealing with budget cuts and financial issues handed down in Lansing.

“I think we did the best we could under the circumstances,” he said. “The district is not the enemy–they are being forced to take cuts.”