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Highlands Today

Union President Calls Budget Survey An 'Unfair Labor Practice'

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By MARC VALERO

Highlands Today

Published: January 29, 2009

SEBRING - Bracing for state budget cuts due to the economic downturn, Highlands County Superintendent of Schools Wally Cox is asking his administrators to meet with their staff to rank 10 suggested budget-cutting measures.

But teachers union President Steve Picklesimer believes half of those suggestions should only be addressed as contract bargaining issues.

"I've started the process of investigating it as an unfair labor practice," Picklesimer said Wednesday.

Five of the 10 suggestions on a narrow list of choices deal with collective bargaining that are solely within the jurisdiction of bargaining, he said.

"I feel that Mr. Cox and this effort is actually trying to indirectly bargain with the teachers," he said.

An administrator told her staff she wants the survey done so she could speak for the teachers at the next administration meeting, Picklesimer said. As the designated bargaining agent, "I feel that the union should speak for the teachers."

The five suggestions that Picklesimer believes should only be discussed at the negotiation table are: reduce the number of personnel, reduce contract lengths, shift a portion of health insurance premiums to employees, reduce supplemental pay and reduce salaries for every employee.

It's not appropriate to ask teachers to rank their choices of how to cut the budget from a cherry-picked list, Picklesimer said. The choice of cutting positions or taking a pay cut is a way to pit teacher against teacher.
Picklesimer said he asked Cox to hold off on the survey until the unfair labor practice issue is resolved.

According to Pickelsimer, Cox said he would look into it, but that he needed that data as soon as possible.

Cox could not be reached for comment.

The other five cost-saving suggestions are: reduce allocation of additional hours and days, eliminate programs, reduce athletic program costs, reduce field trips and do not adopt new textbooks.

Cox's memo to administrators states that a number of steps have been taken to conserve funds and balance the budget this year, including: increased class sizes, elimination of all but required summer school classes, consolidated bus stops, reduced the number of personnel, eliminated salary bonuses for administrators and restricted overtime pay.

In addition to these efforts, further steps need to be taken to reduce the budget deficit, Cox stated.

According to Cox's memo, school and department leadership will meet to reach a consensus on recommendations on Feb. 4 and then present the prioritized recommendations to district office administration on Feb. 11.

Highlands Today reporter Marc Valero can be reached at 863-386-5826 or mvalero@highlandstoday.com

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