Competitive Edge, The

NEA Today, Mar 2004

WHEN IT COMES TO BARGAINING a top-notch contract, New Jersey's Evesham Township Education Association (ETEA) knows the right formula. The local's philosophy is simple: Don't even try to attract quality teachers and ESPs if your salaries aren't competitive with the market. And the school district agrees with them.

The new three-year contract includes an average 6 percent raise in teacher pay and a 5 percent increase for ESPs each year of the agreement. Those raises will take the beginning teacher salary from $34,500 to $41,000 and the top of the teacher pay scale from $64,500 to $71,000 during the 2005-06 school year. Neighboring school districts already pay their starting teachers $40,000 or more, says UniServ Field Representative Steve Swetsky, so the local used that information to make a case for higher wages.

But, ETEA didn't stop there. The local also secured full family health insurance coverage for first- and second-year employees, who used to qualify only for individual coverage. The contract also includes an extra personal day for ESPs. ETEA President Bill Parker and members of the local met monthly with school system administrators before bargaining even started to educate the district about the local's needs. Building that relationship paid dividends when the two sides began negotiating, Parker says.

"You have to have a relationship above and beyond what you do in bargaining," says Parker, a music teacher at Marlton Middle School. "You need to be able to talk to them."