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Tuesday, April 12, 2011 | 6:11 p.m.
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Facing steep budget cuts, the Clark County School District is suing the local teachers' union in hopes of avoiding a deadlock over certain spending reductions.
The district filed suit Friday in Clark County District Court in Las Vegas against the Clark County Education Association and is asking the court to decide an issue over increased retirement plan contributions.
The suit says the district's employees participate in the state Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) and that on Dec. 3 PERS notified the district that on July 1 the employees' contribution rate must increase 1.125 percent.
The lawsuit says the increase must be paid in lieu of an equivalent salary increase or be counterbalanced by an equivalent reduction in the employees' salaries.
This cost to employees will be $14 million and it's actually paid by the district, the lawsuit said.
"This amount equates to approximately 200 full-time district employee positions," the lawsuit noted, adding the district and the union are negotiating a new contract for the 2011-12 school year while the Legislature weighs deep spending reductions.
The lawsuit seeks a court order "declaring that in the event the Clark County Education Association and the district are unable to agree on the source of the employees' portion of the PERS increase by 1.125 percent by July 1, the district is required to abide by (state law)" providing for a salary cut to cover the PERS increase.
Such a court order would be superseded by the final determination of the contract by agreement or an arbitrator's decision.
The union has not yet responded to the suit.
This is gonna be fun to watch!, lol
I think this is another attempt at the unity that is currently electrifying the nation.
Sue first? What are they thinking? Unable to obtain these reasonable "concessions" from MERCENARY TEACHERS? So lay off more than 2500. Get new job descriptions and pay scales so that any body hired or rehired has some idea of what their COMMITMENT is.
Seems to me that this is another example of posturing and maneuvering [sp?] in order to influence bargaining. Teachers [of which I am one] are covered by a collective bargaining agreement. Does the agreement address this issue? If yes, then the agreement provides for a remedy. If no, then it is subject to bargaining as it is an issue of compensation.
The District is getting ahead of itself by trying to lock in contract terms under their draconian assumptions. If, and I'll concede it is a big "if", the revenue situation changes for the better I believe it unlikely that the District would willingly give back what teachers conceded.
Shutdown the CCSD and fire all the butt wipers, nose wipers and other various worthless employees that work in that palace the school district purchased on West Sahara. That would free up a lot of money for the poor teachers.