WILLIAMSBURG JAMES CITY COUNTY— The Williamsburg-James City County School Board discussed a proposed agenda item to review collective bargaining at its Sept. 3 work session.
Collective bargaining is a process in which employees, through their unions, negotiate contracts with their employers to determine their terms of employment, including pay, benefits, hours, leave, job health and safety policies, ways to balance work and family, and more. The result is a collective bargaining agreement, establishing rules of employment for a set number of years. Both parties are legally bound to bargain in good faith, meaning they have a mutual obligation to participate actively in the deliberations and indicate a desire to find a basis for agreement.
The Williamsburg-James City County Education Association (WJCEA) provided a petition to the school board to pass a resolution providing for collective bargaining on May 30. The affidavit noted that 52% of the division’s licensed personnel signed the authorization card supporting collecting bargaining and authorized the WJCEA to represent them.
Under Virginia code the school board had 120 days to vote on the matter after receipt of the affidavit.
The WJCEA requested “that the school board vote, pursuant to Va. Code § 40.1-57.2(C), to adopt WJCEA’s resolution providing for the establishment of a joint collective bargaining committee to draft a resolution permitting licensed personnel and education support professionals to freely and fairly elect a collective bargaining representative and engage in collective bargaining regarding any matter relating to them or their employment or service.”
“This has been a topic of a lot of thought and discussion and we will engage in a discussion now,” School Board Chair Sarah Ortego said, noting before turning the discussion over to the board, “There are a wide range of opinions and feelings on this and for a variety of reasons. They’re all valid and we just want this to be a very respectful discussion.”
Community members who supported and opposed collective bargaining made their voices heard during public comment at the August school board meeting.
“When COVID hit, I believe we all went through it, we all can remember,” said school board member Kimberley Hundley of the Powhatan district. “Something happened within our communities, within our nation where the respect for teachers just … it was hard. And that’s where I feel this collective bargaining had its rebirth.”
However, members of the board — including Hundley — still have reservations. One major concern is how fiscally responsible it is for the school board to introduce collective bargaining with the possible divide of the school division hanging over it.
“If this joint school system doesn’t exist, am I being responsible, can I actually bargain in good faith, because I don’t know what unit I am actually bargaining for and who I am committing to, whatever it is that we create,” said school board member Andrea M. Donnor of the City of Williamsburg district.
Michael Hosang of the Stonehouse district, speaking from his personal experience with unions, said “It’s very rarely that [working with unions] is a positive light. It’s always been adversarial, but that’s the nature of the beast.”
“Right now I think we have a very cordial relationship with all of our employees, with the teachers, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, etc., and by allowing collective bargaining, it will turn adversarial,” Hosang continued.
“I do understand the board has a certain amount of authority, it has limited authority and whether or not its delegated, we still have the authority, and I’m not really sure that needs to be shared, because we were chosen to do this, or elected to do this,” said Daniel Cavazos of the Roberts district.
There are still members on the board who would like to see the creation of a resolution committee.
“I think this is some of our workers saying something to us, and we are not giving them maybe the best chance to go about this, because it’s just not the right time or it’s going to be really hard for leadership,” said school board member Randy Riffle of Berkeley district. “We were elected to do tough things.”
School board member Amy Chen of the City of Williamsburg district said the board should consider alternative avenues for employee input if the proposal is turned down.
“If we’re going to say no, then I feel like we need to offer something where teachers do feel like they have a voice,” she said. “Whether it be an advisory committee or something.”
The next school board meeting will be held Sept. 17. A closed session will start at 6 p.m. before the public meeting starts at 6:30 p.m.
