Labor & Employment Law

Detroit School Official?s Unilateral Order Puts Office Workers Near Poverty Line

By James Parks

In the middle of contract negotiations, the emergency financial manager for the Detroit Public Schools is unilaterally imposing a 10 percent wage cut for school office workers and will require employees to pay 10 percent of health care premiums.

The move by Robert Bobb, who recently received an $81,000 raise, will push office employees’ average salary to barely 15 percent above the poverty level for a family of four and below the poverty level for a family of five. The average salary for the office workers currently is $25,000.

Says Ruby Newbold, president of the Detroit Association of Educational Office Employees, AFT Local 4168 (DAEOE):

I guess Mr. Bobb’s words that we are essential and that he is committed to labor management cooperation were meaningless rhetoric. All the members of DAEOE want is what is good for students and fair to staff. We can achieve this if the district does not unilaterally implement, provides the union with accurate data and returns to the bargaining table.

Although it took a long time, the school district and the Detroit Federation of Teachers (DFT) recently reached a contract deal. Now Bobb is denying the same opportunity for support staff. DFT President Keith Johnson says he is appalled by Bobb’s unilateral action. 

Support staff are essential to the education of our children. They are no less deserving than teachers to have a contract bargained and not implemented.

Full post as published by AFL-CIO NOW BLOG on March 04, 2010 (boomark / email).