By Harold C. Ford
After months of labor unrest, Flint Community Schools (FCS) and the United Teachers of Flint (UTF) have arrived at a settlement of issues, though details of the new agreement have not yet been made public.
The agreement follows a “sick-out” and near-unanimous strike vote by teachers last month, and it was arrived at, according to Flint Superintendent Kevelin Jones, after 16 hours of bargaining during the district’s spring break, March 25 to 29, 2024.
The issues that divided the two sides – negotiated during multiple closed bargaining sessions during the first three months of 2024 – haven’t always been clear to the public and press.
A United Teachers of Flint demonstrators outside of a Flint Board of Education Meeting on March 13, 2024. Union members voted to strike earlier in the day after staging a “sick out.” (Photo by Harold C. Ford)
In recent weeks, UTF members and representatives consistently and loudly advocated for restoration of pay steps that had been frozen during years of financial distress experienced by Flint’s public school system.
“Give us our steps!” exclaimed UTF member Dena Ashworth during the Feb. 14 Flint Board of Education (FBOE) meeting, echoing sentiments expressed by many of her colleagues.
At a March 13 FBOE meeting, Thrun Law Firm’s Timothy Gardner, the lead negotiator for the FCS-FBOE team, shifted the focus. He said the UTF grievances were about prep time and pay scale changes for new hires.
Clear to everyone however, is that a reported tentative settlement in January — arrived at during closed bargaining between UTF and FCS-FBOE negotiating teams — was subsequently, publicly, and unanimously rejected by the entire seven-member Flint board. And that rejection angered Flint teachers.
Ratification
The new agreement’s ratification process began with an April 3 special meeting of the FBOE. Following a 30-minute closed session, a motion to accept the agreement was made by FBOE Trustee Terae King Jr. followed by a seconding motion from Laura MacIntyre, the board’s assistant secretary/treasurer.
The vote to ratify was unanimous. King and MacIntyre were joined in affirmation by Joyce Ellis-McNeal, president; Michael Clack, vice president; Claudia Perkins, secretary; Dylan Luna, treasurer; and Melody Relerford, trustee.
“I support it 1,000 percent” said Clack prior to the vote. “I’m a product of Flint schools, both of my parents taught in Flint schools, I have worked in Flint schools for a number of years.”
Perkins added, “Everybody around this table has agreed the teachers needed to be supported as far as pay.”
Later in the evening, UTF representative Bruce Jordan announced in an email message: “the Flint teachers have ratified and accepted the settlement agreement by a 96% approval!”
A joint FCS-UTF press statement issued the next day, March 4, declared the settlement a “historic Restoration Agreement.”
“This agreement goes a long way in restoring the trust we have had with the District and the Board,” Jordan said.
Superintendent Jones also lauded the agreement. “Although all educators support the needs of our students,” he said, “teachers are the most important intervention for student growth and development … This agreement recognizes the importance of fair compensation and supportive working conditions for teachers.”
Relief
Expressions of relief following the settlement were palpable.
Following the school board’s unanimous ratification vote, spontaneous applause – presumably from UTF members and their supporters – erupted seven times collectively lasting more than a full minute.
“It’s a big weight lifted off my shoulders,” Clack said, adding, “It is not easy pulling into a parking lot and you’ve got 150 people surrounding your car.”
Flint teachers demonstrate outside of Accelerated Learning Academy in Flint, Mich. on March 13, 2024. The demonstrations followed a “sick out” during the day as a vote to strike in response to the district’s lack of movement on contract negotiations. (Photo by Harold C. Ford)
Reflection
“The work has just begun,” Jones said. “The work we need to do moving forward as it pertains to enrollment, bringing in new teachers, bringing back teachers that did not ever want to leave … We’re committed to doing the work after today.”
Jordan said UTF looks forward to working with the district to address “vital recruitment and retention of both teachers and students,” and that members are hopeful for what’s to come.
“We have a lot more work to do … when it comes to our operational deficit, when it comes to schools we have too many of, and getting rid of our blight,” Luna cautioned. “But the most important thing is our focus on student achievement and making sure our students can succeed when they leave our schools … We need to focus on that 100 percent moving forward.”
Details of the new agreement have not yet been made available. A joint FCS-UTF press conference is scheduled prior to the April 10 FBOE meeting at Accelerated Learning Academy, 1602 S. Averill, where the groups may provide specifics of the settlement. The presser and FBOE meeting are open to the public and scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. respectively.
You must be logged in to post a comment.