Teacher Salaries Bargaining Reaches Impasse
Public Employment Relations Board to Appoint Mediator
Collective bargaining between Santa Barbara Unified School District and the Santa Barbara Teachers Association reached an impasse Tuesday as negotiators failed to agree on raises for the district’s 800 teachers. Union reps had requested a 6 percent bump, retroactive to July 1, 2015, while the district’s best offer was 2 percent, retroactive to January 1, with another 2 percent raise this July. They also disagreed on how members would be selected to fill seats on a newly created teacher-advisory council. With the impasse declaration, the Public Employment Relations Board will appoint a mediator.
Superintendent David Cash told The Santa Barbara Independent, “It is disappointing that an impasse in contract negotiations was called, as dialogue is the key to resolving differences. Representatives of our school district and the Santa Barbara Teachers Association have actually held only four negotiating sessions during this contract talk cycle. We have only been negotiating for less than 20 hours. We look forward to productive meetings as we move forward.”
“At this point, Santa Barbara Unified School District representatives will wait for further direction from the Public Employee Relations Board, since the union has declared impasse. We hope to resolve this matter as quickly as possible,” he continued.
