Below are questions Mundo Verde teachers and staff presented in the days leading up to the vote on May 15. The answers below are intended to provide guidance as our staff and teachers prepare to vote.
If the AFT is voted in, will we get more money and better benefits?
The AFT cannot guarantee that employees will receive more money and/or benefits during or as a result of the collective bargaining process.
If the AFT is voted in, Mundo Verde will recognize the union as your exclusive collective bargaining representative. Upon request, Mundo Verde will sit down with union officials at the bargaining table and bargain in good faith over your pay, your benefits, and your other terms and conditions of employment.
Is it true that under the law Mundo Verde will have to agree to a contract?
It is true that Mundo Verde will have to sit down with the union and attempt to negotiate a contract.
However, the law specifically says that neither party, is required to agree to any particular demands or proposals made by the other side, and neither party is required to agree to a contract.
There is no guarantee that the parties will reach an agreement. It is impossible to estimate how long it will take to negotiate a contract (or two contracts if group A and group B are voted to unionize separately).
As a new union, the District of Columbia Alliance of Charter Teachers and Staff (DCACTS - Local 1927), has not yet successfully negotiated a contract. AFT teachers and staff at Caesar Chavez have been working without a contract for two years.
Why does Mundo Verde oppose the union?
Mundo Verde supports the desire of every member of the faculty and staff in seeking information and understanding the facts surrounding unionization as you consider this very important decision. Ultimately, the decision of whether to unionize is in the hands of teachers and staff, and is yours alone. We are strongly encouraging everyone who is eligible to let their voices be heard and to vote in the election on May 15th regarding this decision. This issue is too important not to participate or to leave in someone else’s hands.
Is it true that in bargaining, negotiations start where the employees are and will only go up from there?
This is not true. In bargaining, all of the employees’ present pay, benefits, and working conditions go into the middle of the bargaining table and are subject to the give and take of good-faith bargaining. Employees may get better conditions; the same conditions; or even lose pay and/or benefits as a result of the bargaining. At this time, no one knows what the result of collective bargaining will be.
If Mundo Verde cannot promise anything, how can we be assured that the school will take action on the issues and concerns we have brought up if we vote no?
Trust and a long-history of being an employee-oriented academic institution. Under the law, we cannot make any promises or changes now, but we have been listening to you very intently and noting the concerns and issues which you have brought-up. Look at our track record which includes:
Direct collaboration on pay scale and pay increases for beginning teachers
Direct collaboration on health care premium payments
Direct collaboration on leave policy
Direct collaboration on planning and free periods for teachers each month
Established forms of obtaining feedback and input into decisions, including a Staff Council
Our history of trust and emphasis on being an employee-oriented School means we are listening, we will continue to listen, and we want to work through your concerns directly with you.
Is respect something that may be negotiated in a contract?
Mundo Verde is an employee-oriented school, and we believe in treating employees with honesty and respect. This is not a goal – it is requirement. With or without a contract in place, we expect our supervisors and managers to treat you with respect and we expect the same in return.
What if I already signed a union authorization form or promised to vote for the union?
The authorization card was used as a “Showing of interest” with the NLRB to set up the election. All eligible voters have the right to vote any way they want on election day. The vote will be by secret ballot, meaning that no one will know how you voted. The National Labor Relations Act protects you from changing your mind even if you signed an authorization form.
What if I do not vote on election day?
If you do not cast a vote, you will be forfeiting your right to participate in the election and your right to help control your own destiny. For example, if you do not wish to have a union or pay union dues, but you fail to vote, you will be letting other people make that decision for you. If you do not vote, then the number of votes needed for the union petition to pass or fail will be reduced. Like a presidential election, the result of the election is based on the number of people who vote. For example, if there are 100 eligible voters, but only 20 vote in the election, 11 people will decide that the entire 100 will pay dues and be represented by the union even if they don’t want it.
