LWESP AND LAKE WASHINGTON AGREE TO A “COOLING OFF” PERIOD
The Lake Washington School District and members of the Lake Washington Educational Support Professionals announced Wednesday, March 17 that they have agreed to a collaborative bargaining process to reach a settlement in the office personnel’s contract negotiations that started in February, 2009.
“The goal of this type of bargaining is to meet the interests of both parties”, noted Deputy Superintendent Janene Fogard. “We have found with other bargaining units that this process helps to foster good working relationships.”
LWESP members have agreed to suspend all community organizing activities while the process unfolds. The district will postpone employee investigations it launched last week, and union staff for the LWESP will suspend any challenges to those investigations.
“We have mutually agreed to seek facilitated bargaining in an effort to settle this contract. We need to return to our focus of providing a high-quality education for all students,” LWESP Chief Bargainer Donna Lurie said.
The two sides will work with John and Carol Glaser, a highly skilled pair of facilitators. Both the district and union are committed to reaching a contract settlement through this process. Timing of the sessions is still being worked out, but the sessions are not expected to begin before April. In the meantime, any previously scheduled bargaining sessions are postponed.
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I see you removed my comment about how to work with the Administration. I'm glad it's all working out for you so far. I think LWSD is getting the message now. Agreeing to a mediator was a necessary step that should have been done months earlier before you both began to lose trust in each other. You're missing out in some information but I don't think it would further the process for either party. By Bob Yoder, Lunch Buddy at Horace Mann and a Seattle Times partner bringing local news.
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