Representatives of a union for instructors at the Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency, which serves Kalamazoo-area school districts, say they've filed four more unfair labor practice complaints amid stalled contract negotiations.
The announcement came at Tuesday’s meeting of the KRESA Board of Education.
During public comments, a handful of members and officers urged KRESA to reach an agreement with the union, known as the Kalamazoo Career Technical Education Association.
KRESA maintains that it's bargaining in good faith, and Superintendent Dedrick Martin says he believes the agency has not done anything illegal.
"I hope to them it's a wakeup call"
Allison Macias teaches supply chain management for KRESA’s Career Connect campus. She was one of two rank-and-file KCTEA members who addressed the board, telling them that the union's requests were not unusual.
"From my 15 plus years of experience in operations and manufacturing, this is not something that is abnormal," Macias told the board.
She told WMUK she hoped the new complaints would send a message.
“I hope to them it's a wakeup call that this is real and these things are affecting us and impacting us. Honestly though, I don't think they'll see it that way.”
Horticulture instructor Crystal Van Pelt also addressed the board, saying that a contract would give much-needed guidance to teachers.
"We need a fair contract in place to protect our employees and just give us some insight into what our expectations are as teachers," Van Pelt told the board.
"We are in a new building and that comes with a lot of change and some constant shifting. So having this contract in place would give us just some some foundation as new employees in the K-12 setting."
Van Pelt has been a member of the KCTEA for a few months. She told WMUK that she feels KRESA is deliberately dragging out negotiations.
"It does feel like they are just trying to wear us down until we are no longer available to fight."
"Last month they brought up the fact that we are only 4% of KRESA's employees, which made it seem like we don't matter to them, which is very hard to hear from your employer."
Alleged unfair labor practices
Tom Greig is with the Michigan Education Association, which has been assisting the union in its negotiations.
He announced the newly-filed ULPs during public comments, touching on one particular complaint filed against KRESA.
“Every time that I communicate with your administration or your attorneys, more ULPs are committed in those emails," Greig said.
"Things like the last offer that you gave us included a $500 incentive to vote, which is illegal.”
Greig said KRESA has also given raises to some union members but not others, approved a new medical plan for employees that wasn’t negotiated with the union, and refused to share information requested by the union.
These accusations, along with two other previously-filed complaints, are set to be heard by the Michigan Employment Relations Commission on January 15.
After the meeting, Greig said he was confident in the union's case against KRESA.
"Some of these ULPs are just like, absolutely slam dunk, like egregious. Never seen it before. Never had some people get a raise and others not. I've never had the district offer to pay money — to bribe people to vote," Greig said.
"These are things that, you know, they don't happen because districts know that that's illegal and they would never even do it."
KRESA Superintendent Dedrick Martin also sounded confident. He said he believes the complaints are unfounded, including the one involving bonuses for voting.
“One, I don't think it was illegal. Again, our attorneys are there, so we kind of know what you can do," Martin said.
"Two, that was so many months ago, to hear it come out today was kind of a surprise. If it wasn't a problem several months ago. To bring it up today was interesting.”
Michael Symonds reports for WMUK through the Report for America national service program.
