November 26th, 2024

Strike day 13

No settlement; some
​progress on class size

People supporting the teacher march Saturday on the Linn County Courthouse grounds.

 The Greater Albany Education Association and Greater Albany Public Schools bargaining teams mediated until 11:30 p.m. Sunday, day 13 of the strike. No settlement was reached, but some progress was made on class size.
   No mediation is scheduled for Monday. 
   Picketing was to resume  Monday morning, and the GAEA has scheduled two community forums, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. and 7 to 8 p.m. Monday at the Linn-Benton Community College Calapooia Center. Food will be provided. 
  Here is part of bargaining update released by the GAEA:
 "Today (Sunday), your bargaining team returned to the table and continued discussions with the district through the day and evening. Small progress was made, but at the end of the night Management re-asserted their original offers with very little movement.  
  "Moves on Class Size include a commitment to a process that begins with a committee at the building level to try to solve problems at the lowest level, however decision making power sits with the Director of Human Resources, the Business Manager, the Director of Elementary Education and the GAEA president.  Management has offered to have a Class Size fund that management will get to decide how to allocate, which could for example include offering a few additional 

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Albany City Councilors-elect Carolyn McLeod and Michael Thomson stood in support of the teachers Saturday.

minutes a week of classified assistance to our Kindergarten teachers with 30 students.  They could provide more, but there is not a guarantee it won’t be more of the same.  Allowing GAEA one vote with 3 members of management gives no real protection from continuing to have overcrowded unsafe classrooms." ​
  Here is part of the GAPS update: 
   "Much of the work (Sunday) was focused on class-size language. Movement was made on the part of both groups. 
   "At 9:30 p.m., the District passed a non-confidential offer to GAEA that addressed all remaining articles. The District made significant movement to offer protections and remedies in our class size offer."
  For the full updates, click the buttons below.​
  Monday marks Day 14 of the strike, including nine days of no school. Monday and Tuesday were originally scheduled to be no-school days with parent-teacher conferences, which have been canceled. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are scheduled holiday days.
  A community rally in support of the striking teachers was held Saturday morning at the Linn County Courthouse.