3/27/13 - State funding for the Hartland Consolidated School district may be in jeopardy after ratification of several union contracts this week. On Monday, the Hartland school board approved five-year contracts for teachers, secretaries, food-service personnel and maintenance employees. But the district faces the loss of state performance grant money under legislation that would put some state funding at risk for local governments that sign long labor contracts before Michiganâs right-to-work law takes effect on Thursday. The legislation was approved by the House General Government Appropriations Subcommittee, of which State Representative Bill Rogers is a member. The Genoa Township Republican says because the contract is longer than the one it replaces, the district will lose its grant funding. However, district officials say the money they will save because of union concessions will more than make up for that loss. In addition to tying pay increases to increased state aid and increased enrollment, the new contracts allow the district to put 5% of their annual operating budget into its fund reserves and adds a seventh high school class period, which will help reduce class sizes from an average of 35 to 28 students. Because the deals were approved prior to the right-to-work law going into effect, members of those unions will not be able to opt-out of paying their union dues. Supporters of right-to-work say it provides workers a choice if they wish to financially support a union, while critics say the lawâs intention is to subvert the power of unions to bargain collectively and attempts by the legislature to punish governmental units that implement contracts prior to its implementation only proves that. (JK)
↧