Escanaba School Board Cannot Do Illegal Act Concerning Union Grievance

law books (Photo credit: j3net)

Seems the Escanaba School board has to follow the law concerning a pay grievance with the teachers union.

Escanaba schools: Grievance focus of meeting
Board votes not to hear complaint
September 18, 2012
By Jason Raiche – staff writer (jraiche@dailypress.net) , Daily Press

ESCANABA – The Escanaba School Board voted to not hear a grievance filed by the Escanaba Education Association intended to advance approximately six teachers’ pay levels based on “lane change advancements.” The decision was made during Monday’s school board meeting.

Escanaba High School teacher Dan DeLong spoke on behalf of the EEA on the grievance during the meeting, saying the six teachers were not aware they would not be compensated for “lane changes” until their first pay check on Aug. 23.

A “lane change” refers to the advancement of salary based on a teacher completing a higher degree or additional college credit hours. This differs from “step increases,” which essentially is a pay increase based on longevity or the number of years a teacher remains with the district.

Later in the article.

“We aren’t a court of law,” said Lemire. “It’s not for this board to decide who was right – Bedford or Waverly. So you look at the effect. If the board chose to accept and to grant these lane change advancements, there stands a possibility that, according to our school district‘s attorney … the board of education is doing an illegal act. It is not following the law. If the board sided with management and denies the grievance, our school district attorney would say … that we followed the law.”

Read more at The Escanaba Daily Press.

Sometimes you have to follow the letter of the law.