Copyright Los Angeles Times
Newport-Mesa Unified School District educators have been making public appearances to protest proposed pay increases they say do not keep pace with inflation, while encouraging district officials to return to the negotiating table as contract talks grind to a halt. Hundreds of members of the Newport-Mesa Federation of Teachers (NMFT) Wednesday gathered en masse outside district headquarters in Costa Mesa for a lunch-hour rally, held during a training day in which students were not on school campuses. Protesters dressed in blue held signs decrying a 2% raise offered by NMUSD negotiators during contract opener talks that began in June. Since then, the two parties have discussed teacher salaries, healthcare benefit costs and other topics over 13 bargaining sessions. NMFT President Rhonda Reid said district negotiators initially proposed a .97% salary increase, later increasing the offer to 2%, which instructors claim falls short of the state’s 2.3% cost of living adjustment. “We just felt that was not something we could agree to,” Reid said Thursday. “We have some of the best educators in the county. They love their schools and their community and they’re proud of their district. They just want to have salaries where they can afford where they live and keep up with the cost of living and know their value.” The union president said many teachers in Costa Mesa and Newport Beach, particularly those beginning their careers, are paying off costly college loans and struggling to afford housing near their jobs. During negotiations, the district offered an additional 1.65% to cover the cost of health insurance increases, sparing teachers from seeing $213 monthly subtractions from their paychecks beginning this month. But negotiators have since pulled that back, due to NMFT’s refusal to accept the increase, Reid maintains. NMUSD officially declared an impasse on Oct. 24, triggering a process that could include the involvement of a state-appointed mediator and, failing that, a fact-finding panel. Four days later, NMFT members rallied outside the district’s State of the Schools address. “We really are not trying to delay, but to have a fair living salary for our members,” Reid said of the recent actions by the union, which represents more than 1,060 instructors. This year’s annual opener talks come in the second year of a three-year contract. Over the last four years, NMFT members have secured a collective 20.6% raise, making them the second highest paid teachers in Orange County, according to Newport-Mesa Unified spokeswoman Annette Franco. Franco explained in an email Thursday the district has invested in lower class sizes, increased support personnel for students and staff and public safety enhancements across campuses. “NMUSD has substantially increased its contributions to help offset the cost of employee health insurance for both employees and their families,” Franco added, noting that the district covers an average of 94% of employees’ health insurance premiums. Reid countered some of the district’s assertions, saying the state’s cost of living adjustment, applied over the last four years, would amount to 20.92% and indicating NMUSD faculty make just $1 per week more than the third-ranked district. Still, she said, employees are hopeful some kind of agreement may be reached that will help teachers feel valued for their commitment of time, attention and work on behalf of students.
