It’s late January. Bargaining season is around the corner. Normally, there is not a real marker to look for, but this year is different. In case you have been living with your head buried in the snow (or if you are a Yooper who roots for the Packers for some reason) the Detroit Lions are in the NFC Championship game for the first time since the 1991 season. For districts with labor contracts expiring this summer, now is the time to begin preparing for your labor group negotiations. Just like how the NFL playoffs are different this year, negotiations are going to be different as well. Recent changes in the law have removed the prohibition on bargaining certain subjects, putting them back table. Bargaining will likely be more challenging. Indeed, with more topics on the table, a tapering off of the money spigot, and continued pressures to provide more services, it may be more difficult than ever to reach an agreement that is fiscally responsible for your district while also satisfying the labor groups.  

Being prepared for the negotiation process requires your team to have knowledge of your district’s current financial situation, and an understanding of revenue, expense and fund balance trends over the past few years. Likewise, knowing how your district stacks up to nearby peer districts will give your bargaining team an edge when the inevitable comparisons between your compensation offer and those of other districts are raised. There are several sources available to obtain the relevant data (such as FTE counts, fund balance trends, revenue/expense reports, etc.) including MASB’s own Employment Relations Information Network.

Along with district-specific comparisons, matching actual community demographics can be helpful as well. Often times, bargaining units will make compensation comparisons between your district and another, but will (inevitably) choose a comparison district that your district does not match-up with favorably. By developing your own comprehensive comparison presentation your team can demonstrate that it is offering a competitive compensation package given the relevant market. Such a presentation can incorporate not only district enrollment and revenue numbers but also community measurements such as median income, unemployment, overall population and the like. Finally, while this data may not always be considered compelling by the group sitting across from you at the bargaining table, having it available to the community at-large (by posting it on the district website) can help inform and educate district residents. Likewise, if negotiations prove unfruitful, having an accurate and concise data presentation already compiled will put your team that much farther ahead going into Mediation or Fact Finding. 

MASB will be hosting a Labor Relations Workshop on February 9, 2024 in Lansing which will address some of the new challenges facing school districts in this, and future bargaining seasons. For more information on this or any legal or labor related questions, please contact our Labor Relations and Legal Services Department.