Non-union school employees disapprove of lawsuit
COEUR d'ALENE - A group of non-union employees in the Kootenai School District announced their disapproval of a lawsuit filed in November by the local teachers union against the school board and the district.
A letter signed by 21 employees, about half the staff of the small district based in Harrison, was sent to The Press on Wednesday.
In the letter, the non-union employees denounced the legal action brought forward by the Kootenai Education Association. They further claimed they would not accept any compensation should the union be awarded a court settlement as a result of the lawsuit.
"Those of us who are not members of the Kootenai Education Association, both certificated and non-certificated staff, felt strongly from the beginning that this lawsuit was inappropriate," stated the letter. "We believe that our district needs to work together to get through the current financial crisis faced by the state, and in fact, by the nation."
The lawsuit alleges that school officials failed to fairly negotiate the terms of the contract being imposed on teachers this school year.
Negotiations took place last spring when the small district employed 42 people, and had 237 students enrolled.
The lawsuit claims the school board and administration violated Idaho's financial emergency and wage statutes by imposing compensation terms on employees that are worse than the "last best offer" made during negotiations.
"Initially we tried to put our concerns about the lawsuit and its likely repercussions on paper, and we requested a meeting with our KEA co-workers to express to them our concerns about the lawsuit," the letter states. "Only when all of those attempts failed to show any progress did we feel the need to distance ourselves publicly."
The non-union employees said they accepted their 2010-11 contract, including several furlough days because they understand the difficult financial situation all school districts are trying to work through. The letter said they expected to make sacrifices and work together to do what is best for their students.
The union teachers suing the district are seeking a damage award of triple the amount of wages alleged to have been improperly withheld by the district, interest and attorney's fees.
"If the Kootenai Education Association were to win the lawsuit against the Kootenai School District, we will not accept any compensation from that suit, and will designate that it be put back into the general fund to benefit our student programs, not our salaries," the letter stated. "We are a part of this community, and we believe that we work and live in a special place."
The lawsuit was filed in Kootenai County where it remains in pre-trial status. Several motions have been filed, and no hearings have been scheduled.