Before I go any further...

Justin Miller is the messenger. Justin is only doing what he has been directed to do. Reserve your anger for those who issue the orders, not those who carry them out.

Now, about the letter:

• The first paragraph...the BOE's "intent" (THREAT) of what they will/will not do "if the parties are unable to achieve the goal of starting the school year under contract." After dragging its feet (the BOE had no proposal prepared for tonight!)...do you know what date the BOE offered tonight for presenting their proposal to the Association? August effing 15th...the first effing day of school. So much for the chances of achieving "the goal of starting the school year under contract." Now you know why smoke was coming out of my ears! And they have the nerve in their "NEGOTIATIONS PROCEDURE" they handed us at the table tonight to cite "The parties agree to bargain in good faith..." They tell you the bad thing that they are going to do to you if you don't have a new contract by the beginning of school and then don't even present you with their initial proposal until the end of that first day. (BTW: When the CAT team pointed this out, they indicated that they would try for August 8th. My unasked question...what the hell have you been doing since June 30th when the old contract expired?)

• Love the tense of the 2nd paragraph..."expires". Uh, make that expired! Makes one wonder...when did they prepare this letter?

• Funny they would find and "honor" this MOU. The District did NOT bother to "honor" the MOU reached to get the Association to withdraw the Unfair Labor Practice it was forced to file when Superintendent Leotis Swopes denied contractual rights of Personal Leave and Association Leave to CAT members. The Association was forced to file yet another ULP. Where does it say that you can pick and choose your MOUs? Good faith, my CAT's fuzzy butt!

• The fourth paragraph...again with the "hope" that a new contract will be agreed upon before the beginning of school. Total B*ll Sh*t. CAT gave the BOE an opportunity to agree to a new contract back on June 8th. They didn't even consider it...did not make a counter-proposal. And now...they will "try" to get a proposal ready for AUGUST 8th!? What the hell have they been doing for the past two months?!

So, what does this mean for employees...beyond the threats?

Beginning in September, you will start paying the $50 a month that the BOE was paying under the old contract. You will also be paying the $50 a month increase in insurance premium that was levied by Egyptian Trust. (Actually, those numbers don't add up to what I was given...it's worse. It's about $135 more in single premium per month than what you are paying now! If I get more accurate figures, I will post them.)

And...

...while you are reviewing your budget and bank account, trying to find the money to pay your increased health insurance premiums, the Cairo BOE and FOP sit back and dine on the taxpayers' dollar...gazing lovingly at the $3.7 million dollars in their First National Bank account!

Folks...

When you are in the process of negotiating a new contract and the old contract expires, one of the primary rules of labor law is that the provisions of the old contract continue. In fact, the 15-day notice to IELRB that CAT and the BOE signed and mailed on July 22nd contains the following sentence:

"We agree to maintain the status quo with respect to existing terms and conditions of employment..".

However it was before the contract expired shall be continued until a new contract is negotiated and ratified.

Then...

Four days after signing that IELRB document and almost a month after the contract expired, the BOE hands the CAT President a letter that says "Oh, by the way, we aren't going to pay that $50 a month toward employee health insurance premiums that we have been paying for the past two years."

The big question:

Is this legal?

Can't give you an answer to that at this time. Since we just received this tonight, we have not had a chance to contact the IEA legal department.

Madam CAT President will begin that process tomorrow.

But...

...legal or not, it sure as hell ain't "good faith"!

Unfortunately, knowing our BOE and their love of lawyers, even if our attorneys should disagree with their interpretation of "maintaining status quo during negotiations", the BOE would simply refuse to do so and say "see you in court!" They would much rather give outside legal firms money than give it to their employees. They proved that over and over again with James Gibson. (They're STILL fighting him!!!)

So...

Prepare for the worst and hope (if you dare) for the best.