Law step in right direction

Now that Senate Bill 1149 has passed the state legislature, school boards may request that teachers unions annually prove their majority before granting it the exclusive right to bargaining for all certified staff. Ninety one percent of educators in a recent Northwest Professional Educators (NWPE) survey agreed with this forward-thinking provision.

This law is a step in the right direction and will promote accountability, transparency, and good faith bargaining. It will also empower teachers to take local control of their negotiations process. If teachers learn that their local union does not have a majority, or, if they want to challenge the IEA affiliate, they can form a “local only” teacher association to bargain for them. This innovative bargaining model gives teachers a seat at the table without the oversight, cost, or partisan politics of teacher unions.

NWPE, a non-union professional association, can help empower teachers to form effective “local only” teacher associations by referring them to experts in Idaho law and contract negotiations and providing them with nonbargaining support services such as liability insurance, legal counsel on workplace issues, and funding for a local attorney to assist with employment rights issues. This arrangement gives educators the security and peace of mind that they are protected and represented when a concern or crisis occurs.

Change is hard, but as teachers explore and implement new negotiation models, it can also lead to a new environment where teachers receive the respect, recognition and reward they deserve.

Cindy Omlin

Executive Director

Northwest Professional Educators

Spokane