CAT Tracks for May 21, 2009

Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for May 21, 2009

NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE

On schedule...

Pulling the pieces of the proposal together...questions forwarded to BOE representatives...awaiting answers.

The CAT Negotiations Team will meet this afternoon to put its stamp on a "Final Draft".

On Friday morning, you will receive a copy of the document (currently 14 pages) so that you will have ample time to review it before Tuesday's "General CAT Membership Meeting". (If you do not receive a copy, contact a member of the CAT Team...Angela Coleman, Penny Farris, De De O'Shea, or Suzan Partridge.)

This process should insure a smoother, shorter meeting on Tuesday.

The anticipated format of Tuesday's meeting:

Open the floor to questions. (We "ain't gonna read it to you"...U B educated folks...we will respect that!)

A vote will be taken on the proposal:

If it passes, it becomes the new CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement...aka Contract) for July 1, 2008 thru June 30, 2011.

If it fails, you will send your CAT Team back to the table with your objections...for meeting #34.

Your job...
Please take the time to read the proposal between Friday and Tuesday afternoon. Undoubtedly, there will be things you like and things you don't like. Trust me, your CAT Team feels the same way. I'm sure that the BOE Team feels the same way. What you must do is determine if the "good" outweighs the "bad". Based upon that determination, vote your consience...majority rules.
Negotiations is "a process"...a process of give and take.
The usual outcome of negotiations...the employees feel that they woulda, coulda, shoulda gotten more...the employer feels that he/she gave too much...woulda, coulda, shoulda gotten by with less.
If negotiations are successful, neither side is happy...but is willing to "sign off" on the agreement.

Time change...
When we put out the first notice of Tuesday's ratification meeting, we forgot that Tuesday is yet another SIP day. That's not a bad thing. (Okay, let me rephrase that...the fact that Tuesday is a SIP Day is not a bad thing as far as having a ratification meeting...everybody gets out of school at the same time rather than at staggered times. This should insure that everyone can report "on time" for the meeting.)
So...we have changed the time of the meeting...to 15 minutes earlier. We will start promptly at 3:15 p.m. in the CJSHS Cafeteria.
Be sure to do your "homework"...there will be a test...a test consisting of one question...

"Should CAT accept the BOE proposal of 5-18-09?"

Circle your choice:
YES or NO

That's it...C Ya Tuesday afternoon at 3:15 in the CJSHS Cafeteria!