School district officials in Las Vegas are asking a judge to put an end to what it claims is a coordinated union campaign of teachers calling in sick amid their bitter contract battle.
A state judge is scheduled to consider the Clark County School District’s request Wednesday morning, although it wasn’t immediately clear if a ruling would be issued from the bench or at a later date. The Clark County Education Association — which represents about 18,000 licensed educators — has denied that it is behind the recent wave of absences.
The union said in a statement it would “make its position clear in court” on Wednesday. In addition to being one of the largest school districts in the U.S., with about 295,000 students, the Clark County School District is the largest in Nevada. It is facing more than 1,100 teacher vacancies. The education association, however, says vacancies are almost double that if you factor in the open positions that substitute teachers are currently filling. Contract negotiations have been underway since March over topics such as pay, benefits and working conditions. Negotiations resumed this week, but ahead of Wednesday’s hearing, the school district announced it had declared an impasse with the teachers union, saying arbitration was now “the only way” to resolve the ongoing fight after 11 unsuccessful bargaining sessions. It called the union’s demands “unaffordable” and “budget-busting.” Union leaders said they welcome “a third set of eyes” to look over a new contract during arbitration, while also expressing frustration over what they say will likely be a lengthy process before an agreement is reached. The union is seeking 18% across-the-board pay raises over two years. It also wants additional compensation for special education teachers and teachers in high-vacancy, typically low-income schools, as well as an increased pay rate for teachers working extended-day hours at certain campuses. The district said its final offer before declaring an impasse included a 9% salary increase during the first year of a new contract, a new pay scale that it says emphasizes college education and years of experience, and other incentives for special education teachers and hard-to-fill positions. In recent months, negotiations have grown increasingly tense, particularly after the union gave the school district a deadline to reach a contract before the start of the 2023-24 school year. In Nevada, it is illegal for public employees to strike. But the union had said they would consider taking what they called “work actions” if their deadline wasn’t met, including teachers refusing to work more hours than their contracted work day. “It is simply not believable that Defendants would threaten targeted work actions for months and have no involvement when those work actions come to pass through their own members’ conduct,” the school district said in its motion.Andrea Brai, whose son was diagnosed with autism, told last Friday that students’ needs shouldn’t fall by the wayside amid the contract disputes. According to the district, 72% of licensed staff members at Sewell Elementary, where Brai’s son is a student, called in sick that day.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Ed Sheeran Cancels Las Vegas Concert 1 Hour Before Start TimeEd Sheeran canceled his Las Vegas concert one hour before it was set to start after experiencing ‘some challenges’
Read more »
Tesla Cybertruck Spotted On The Las Vegas Strip With Trailer HitchThe first thing that comes to mind is the stark contrast between the Cybertruck’s looks and all the other cars on the road, with the Tesla pickup being completely different from everything else.
Read more »
Tesla Cybertruck Spotted On The Las Vegas Strip With Trailer HitchThe first thing that comes to mind is the stark contrast between the Cybertruck’s looks and all the other cars on the road, with the Tesla pickup being completely different from everything else.
Read more »
Why a Salt Lake company owns the 'Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas' signOne of the most famous signs in the world is owned by a company in Salt Lake City.
Read more »
MGM Las Vegas casinos, hotels across US hit by ‘cybersecurity issue’The incident began Sunday and the extent of its effect on reservation systems and casino floors in Las Vegas and states including Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Yor…
Read more »
Cyberattack shuts down IT systems at MGM hotels in Las VegasIT systems at several major hotels along the casino strip were in the dark following a cyberattack on their computers, MGM hotel officials said.
Read more »