Springfield NEA sues school district over collective bargaining

The Springfield National Education Association filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Springfield Public Schools, alleging that a new district policy denies teachers the right to elect a single bargaining representative.

The policy was approved May 26 by the Springfield Board of Education and imposes a two-tiered election for teachers to choose whether they would like exclusive, multiple or no union representation. Discussions about collective bargaining began after a May 2007 Missouri Supreme Court ruling said teachers, like other public employees, have a right to collectively bargain with their employers.

The Springfield NEA says the policy ignores the kind of election that 63 percent of teachers requested in petitions last fall, according to a Missouri NEA news release. The petitions requested a single election to name an exclusive collective bargaining representative, instead of allowing multiple representation.

"The board's policy denies teachers the rights granted to other public employees, and it paves the road for an unworkable process," SNEA President Ray Smith said in the release. "A system with multiple representatives prevents the teacher team from speaking with one voice and leads to fragmentation, conflict and an overall breakdown in communications."

In a statement Tuesday, Springfield Public Schools Superintendent Norm Ridder said the new policy empowers Springfield teachers "to make their own choice about whether they want to be represented by one organization, multiple organizations or no organization at all." He added that the same policy is used by at least 10 other Missouri school districts.

"As with all legal issues, we will await direction from district legal counsel before making any further comment," Ridder said in the statement.[[In-content Ad]]