Who Deserves Credit for My Contract?
Your local association! Since 1965 and the passage of the Public Employment Relations Act (PERA), Michigan public school employees have had the right to bargain for working conditions and salary.
If your contract is set to expire this year, the association is probably gearing up right now to bargain for you. Contact your association rep if you are interested in being a part of the bargaining team. New members have some unique issues that the team should be aware of. A local contract is only as strong as the members it represents.
When the bargaining is done, you'll have the chance to review the tentative agreement bargained for you and you will have to vote to ratify it before it becomes a binding document. Your contract is a living document that changes according to your changing employment needs.
The salary and benefits you get since you've become an employee aren't gifts from the district. They're the results of many years of hard work on the part of your association members, leaders and staff.
These are the traditional parts of most contracts. If your contract has language about these topics, you should become familiar with them.
• Salary
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Long-term disability insurance
• Vision insurance
• Dental insurance
• Annuities
• Sick leave
• Personal leave
• Paid and unpaid leaves
• Holidays
• Vacations
• Layoff control and protection
• Protection against discipline and dismissal
• An evaluation process
• Anti-discrimination policy
• Employment protection
And in recent years, collective bargaining for support staff has expanded to include these benefits:
• Professional development
• Tuition reimbursement
• School reform
• Site-based decisionmaking