WTU Teacher Contract Resolution

Washington Teachers’ Union Contract Resolution  

November 13, 2023 

BACKGROUND & RATIONALE 

1) Frederick Douglass, a great Washingtonian, said “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” 

2) Youth crime is a persistent problem in the District. Educators of the Washington Teachers’ Union are uniquely positioned to interrupt participation in crime and encourage a positive path forward for their students. 

3) Teachers that are respected, supported, and compensated appropriately will serve the children of Washington D.C. better than those that are not. 

4) Large numbers of teachers across the country and in Washington D.C. are leaving the profession. (1)

5) Teachers are more likely to stay when they and their unions are respected. A fair and timely contract negotiation is one way to show that respect. (2)

6) ANC 3/4G recognizes an historic precedent in this country, one we wish to avoid, that does not immediately recognize the vital role teachers have in society. (3)

8) This ANC passed a Murch Elementary resolution on April 24th saying, “ANC 3/4G recognizes that the success of all DCPS neighborhood schools are critical to the future of our neighborhoods and that all schools should have access to the funding they need to thrive.” (4)

9) The D.C. State Board of Education voted unanimously for a resolution on October 18, 2023 “urging a prompt resolution to negotiations between the Washington Teachers’ Union (WTU) and D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) to improve teachers’ working conditions, maintain existing labor protections, enhance school safety, and support teacher retention, thereby enhancing students’ educational experiences.” (5)

10) The Washington Teachers’ Union has requested negotiations that take place after school hours so that teachers can participate. (6)

11) The Washington Teachers’ Union requested contract negotiations with DCPS. The Washington City Paper reported “D.C.’s last round of contract negotiations with the Washington Teachers’ Union took roughly three years to complete. The one before that took about five years…WTU’s most recent deal with D.C. Public Schools expired Sept. 30, and the two sides have yet to return to the bargaining table.”  (7)

RESOLVED:

1) ANC 3/4G urges DCPS to hold negotiations for a new contract after school hours so teachers in the Washington Teachers' Union can participate. 

2) ANC 3/4G urges DCPS to begin negotiations–as requested by the Washington Teachers’ Union and the State Board of Education–as soon as possible for the benefit of our children, schools, and teachers of Washington D.C. and ANC 3/4G. 

APPROVED at a regular public meeting, notice of which was properly given and at which a and at which a quorum of four (7) of seven (7) members were present on November 13, 2023 by a vote of (7) yes, (0) no, and (0) abstentions.  

Notes:

 1.“Teacher resignations in some D.C.-area school districts rise again.” Washington Post, August 9, 2023

 2. “Teachers’ unions reduce teacher stress. Anti-union laws significantly increase it.” Economic Policy Institute, August 29, 2022

3. Anti-intellectualism in American Life, Richard Hofstadter, 1964. “From teachers children derive much of their sense of the way in which the mind is cultivated; from observing how their teachers are esteemed and rewarded they quickly sense how society looks upon the teacher’s role…That American teachers are not well rewarded or esteemed is almost universally recognized in contemporary comment. A few years ago Marion Folsom, then Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, observed that the “national disgrace” of our teachers’ salaries reflected “the lack of respect accorded to teaching by the public.” 

 4. ANC 3/4G Resolution, Budget at Murch Elementary School, April 24, 2023

 5. “Resolution On the Timely Settlement of Contracts for the Washington Teachers' Union and Council of School Officers.” D.C. State Board of Education

 6. The Washington Teachers’ Contract Campaign

 7. “Fresh Off a Three-Year Contract Fight, DCPS and the Teachers’ Union Seem to be Headed for Another Long Impasse,” Washington City Paper, October 11, 2023