DC Union Chief Sets Meetings, Says Talks at ‘Very Critical Stage’

Bill Turque:

In an e-mail sent to union members Thursday night, Parker said contract talks will be shut down next week “to share detailed information with our members and provide clarity about key issues as they relate to seniority, tenure and compensation.”
Parker said the meetings, scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday at McKinley Technological High School in Northeast Washington, will also be attended by Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee. He said Rhee “will be available for Q and A at a designated time during each session.”
The negotiations, which began in December, have come to focus on Rhee’s efforts to win acceptance of an optional “pay-for-performance plan,” a system of compensation historically opposed by teachers unions.
Citing union sources, none of whom was Parker, The Washington Post reported July 3 that Rhee was proposing a two-tiered salary system in which teachers could earn substantially more if they relinquished some seniority rights and assumed some accountability for test scores. Teachers could choose to retain seniority and receive smaller raises.