INDIANAPOLIS – Lawmakers might not completely eliminate union contracts for teachers, but a bill advanced from Senate committee Wednesday deals a near-fatal blow to the process, according to opponents.
“The scope is so limited under this bill that it can scarcely be called collective bargaining,” said Sally Sloan, executive director of the Indiana Federation of Teachers.
But Sen. Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, said contracts have become so unwieldy since collective bargaining was put in place in 1973 that it’s time to change the law.
He said he was tempted to repeal the collective bargaining law altogether but wanted to let teachers know they are valued and give them a sense of security, “but not at the expense of the educational system,” said Kenley, an author of the legislation.
Gov. Mitch Daniels has said union contracts should focus solely on salary and fringe benefits. And Senate Bill 575 prohibits bargaining on issues such as teacher evaluations, dismissal procedures and working conditions.
It also limits all collectively bargained contracts for teachers to two years – the length of the state budget – since it is unknown what state resources will be available for raises beyond that time period.
But a more significant part of the bill gives school boards the power to unilaterally impose changes to a contract after it expires if no new agreement has been reached.
Under current law, when a contract expires, its provisions stay in effect until a new one is negotiated. This is often called the status quo provision. Administrators claim this encourages teachers not to bargain in good faith.
It was originally put into the law to provide balance to the system because Indiana teachers are not allowed to go on strike.
Under the bill, explained Sen. Phil Boots, R-Crawfordsville, when a contract expires, either side could invoke the status quo. But a school board – with 30 days’ notice – can at any time vote to change the contract provisions as long as the terms were offered previously in negotiating sessions.
This could include cuts in salary or changes to health care benefits, for example.
Opponents say this undercuts the entire purpose of collective bargaining.
“I think this bill has a single purpose – to weaken the teachers unions, which silences teachers’ voices about what goes on in a classroom,” said Sen. Tim Skinner, D-Terre Haute.
Skinner voted against the bill, which passed 7-2. It now moves to the full Senate.
Other organizations supported the bill, including associations for Indiana school boards, superintendents and school business officials.
