Some Detroit teachers have filed a lawsuit over a union-negotiated and ratified contract concession designed to save Detroit Public Schools from financial ruin.
In December, the Detroit Federation of Teachers agreed to a contract concession in which salaried teachers lent the district $10,000 apiece through pay deductions over two years. The Termination Incentive Plan, as it’s known, ensures teachers receive the money back when they leave the district.
The plan was put together by the district’s Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb and Detroit Federation of Teachers President Keith Johnson. Detroit teachers ratified the agreement by a roughly two-to-one margin.
But it appears that some Detroit teachers believe their collective bargaining process shouldn’t apply to them, and filed a lawsuit alleging that the agreement violates Michigan’s Payment of Wages and Fringe Benefits Act.
DFT’s Johnson called the lawsuit “absolutely ridiculous” in a recent Detroit News article.
We agree.
Not only does the lawsuit undermine the hard work and dedication by the district’s education leaders to keep Detroit schools financially afloat, it stifles other districts’ efforts to compromise during these tough economic times.
Will other teachers unions or school boards consider similar concessions to save their district knowing a lawsuit may be around the corner? Not likely.
So far, only a handful of teachers have joined the lawsuit, the News reported, but state officials expect “scores more.” Meanwhile, others are attempting to recall Johnson over the contract agreement.
Cass Tech Teacher Steve Conn told the News that he’s helped to collect more than 1,300 signatures calling for Johnson’s resignation. The contract agreement betrays the interests of teachers by “dismantling” public education, he said.
We believe Steve needs to get a grip on reality. The contract concession may be one of the few things keeping him and the rest of Detroit’s teachers employed. Without it, Steve and those involved in the lawsuit likely would be spending their last days at DPS “dismantling” their classrooms for scrap metal.