PAT has filed a grievance on behalf of our members in PK-8 schools after the District unilaterally increased student/teacher contact time for middle school educators. This is a clear violation of the workload language in our contract, and the protocols we have in place for our current Interest-Based Bargaining (IBB) with the District.

Workload has been a mandatory subject of bargaining since 1987, something we’ve reinforced over the years through a series of successful “6 of 8” grievances and arbitrations.  For whatever reason, the District seems to have forgotten those lessons, and they implemented the PK-8 changes without negotiations.

Sadly, this isn’t the first attempt to add work to the PK-8 workday or workload.  As many of you may remember, the PAT defended PK-8 members in the Fernwood Arbitration.  We have had to constantly push back on the multiple attempts since then to add to member workload in individual buildings, but this year is the first District-wide attempt to alter the workday/workload of PK-8 educators.