Photograph by Robert Scheer
As teachers picket in the background, freshmen Teresa Madden, 15 (left), and Julia Kim, 14, check out their schedules for the first day of school.
By LESTER CHANG
More than 250 teachers picketed at Monta Vista High School last week to illustrate their frustrations over collapsed contract negotiations, further fueling speculation of a full-blown strike.
The teachers carried signs in front of the McClellan Road school Aug. 28 and 29 from 7 to 7:30 a.m on the first two days of the 1996-97 school year. Afterward, Monta Vista teachers began their scheduled classes.
Many who walked the picket line expressed mixed feelings about the possibility of a strike, but most said they would walk out if the 400-member Fremont Education Association voted to do so.
FEA President George Gredassoff said the picket was a success because of the high turnout and enthusiasm among participants. Jim Dawes, lead contract negotiator for the FEA, said he hoped the picket would serve to warn the district about "the seriousness of this thing" and encourage the district to negotiate in good faith.
The district has maintained it wants to reach a fair agreement.
The union also planned to picket Cupertino, Fremont, Lynbrook and Homestead high schools on Sept. 3.
Hundreds of parents encountered the picketers as they drove their children to school and dropped them off. One parent, Nancy Acosta, objected to the demonstration.
"I feel it is not encouraging to see something like this when students come into the school district for the very first time," Acosta said from behind the wheel of a red sports car. "It sets a bad example."
Subha Ravindhran, a 15-year-old sophomore at Monta Vista High School, said she was astonished to see teachers picketing. She was one of more than 100 students who watched the teachers ply the street in front of the school.
Ravindhran said she thought the picketing "was inappropriate," but supported the FEA's call for better salaries and benefits. "Teachers are the people whom we learn from," she said. "They are the people we get our knowledge from. They deserve better."
The FEA decided to picket after contract negotiators from the Fremont Union High School District and the FEA reached a stalemate Aug. 22, resulting in the declaration of an impasse. The sides could not reach agreement on key salary issues, retirement issues and other contractual matters.
As a result of the impasse, a mediator from the California State Conciliation and Mediation Service will be called in to try to resolve the eight-month dispute. If that person is unable to make progress, a three-person panel will be assembled to gather facts in the dispute. The panel would include a representative from the FEA, an appointee from the Fremont school board and a person from the public employment relations board.
A strike could be called if these negotiation efforts fail, FEA officials said.
"A strike scares me," said Michelle Spencer, chairwoman of the English department at Cupertino High School, who walked the picket line in a heavy sweater to ward off the early-morning cold. "I have no choice but to picket right now. I want to have a settlement."
Keith Swelund, a physical education teacher at Fremont High School, said a strike seemed likely. "Anytime people are willing to walk, the inevitable outcome is a strike, unless people are willing to sit down and negotiate in good faith," he said.
District negotiators said they have operated in good faith.
Dawes said the picket action was designed to make the district "understand there is a danger of having a strike," and that "this is a serious matter."
"But no one wants a strike," he added. "We want to settle this."
John Fagrell, a teacher at Fremont High School, said he has mixed feelings about going on strike, but would participate in a strike if other FEA members voted to do so.
But first, he said, the FEA should consider other options to encourage both sides to reach an agreement, including not having teachers volunteer for after-school clubs and other school activities they are not required by the contract to participate in.
Some teachers said they joined the picket line under duress.
One teacher, who asked not to be identified, said: "I don't want to be here. But I don't have a choice. The district is forcing its hand."
Monta Vista Principal Mary Stone said the picketing didn't surprise her and that it was "something you expect during contract negotiations."
A motorcycle officer with the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office was on hand to direct traffic into the school. There were no incidents related to the picketing.
On the key issue of money, the FEA seeks a 12.3 percent salary hike and a one-year contract. The district says it can afford a 6.38 percent salary increase and wants a three-year contract. The current contract expired in August, but will remain in effect until another contract is approved.
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, September 4, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.