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Bargaining for
the Common Good

Overview

A bargaining strategy where educators and their unions join together with parents and other stakeholders to demand change that benefits not just educators, but students and the community as a whole.

Our Collective Bargaining Strategy

We all want our kids to go to schools that foster a love of learning and give them the tools they need to succeed. At PGCEA we use our collective bargaining as a critical moment in a broader campaign to win that change.

Starting in 2019 we have used Bargaining for the Common Good, to partner with the community around a long-term vision for the structural changes we all want to see in our community.

Uniting to Demand Change for Schools, Communities

Educators partner with parents and community members in order to identify issues and utilize bargaining, or other forms of advocacy, as a vehicle to make demands for the entire community. 

Our contract negotiations provide an opportunity for educators and PGCEA to involve the larger school community in the vision we want for our school and neighborhood. Instead of being alone and isolated in negotiations, we are joining together with parents, and the community, to build our power.

When we expand the continuum of bargaining, we build power, and go on the offense in order to fight for social and racial justice, for our kids, for our schools, for our communities, and for the future.

When we unite and demand specific changes for our schools, everyone benefits.

What We Won!

Educators will have more time available to them to plan engaging, comprehensive lessons for students. This will accelerate educator efforts to support every student’s success in closing the pandemic learning gap.

Planning time will be more focused with fewer other responsibilities during this time, and collaborative planning requirements were clarified. This will support educator retention by creating time to do lesson planning during the work day.

Qualifying National Board-Certified Teachers will receive an extra $13K yearly in pay, and educators with other qualifying national certifications will receive an extra $4K. This creates incentives that will increase the number of qualified educators that will deliver the world class education PGCPS students deserve.

Educators will have $100 per year to pay for classroom supplies. During historic inflation, this recognition of costs that have often come out of dedicated teachers’ own pockets will also help ease their burden.

The funds available for educators to receive tuition reimbursements will double, seeing a $139 increase for up to $550 per credit, meaning that there will be less of a financial burden on educators seeking out further education and certifications.

  • Pay for substitute teachers will increase from  $18 to $30 an hour, increasing to $32 in the second year of the contract and $34 in the third. Competition in the local market for substitutes is intense, and this increase will go a long way towards filling hundreds of open positions that will ease the teacher shortage.

School Counselors and Pupil Personnel Workers will now have 11-month contracts, making it feasible for them to keep only one job. This consistency for PGCPS students will increase their ability to navigate social emotional challenges.

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