After over six hours of bargaining Thursday night , 4J educators, who are a part of the Eugene Education Association (EEA), reached a tentative with the Eugene School District around midnight. The workers have been bargaining for this contract in total for around two years and have gone the whole school year without a contract.
The agreement is for a three year contract that includes 4% cost of living adjustment (COLA) for each year of the contract and is retroactive to the start of the school year. EEA President Sabrina Gordon says that while these rates are below the current inflation rate of 7%, they are much better wage increases than what the union has seen over the last decade. Before this meeting the district was offering a 1.5% COLA for the first year and 1% each for the next two years.
The union was also able to secure wins for their students such as more prep time for creating lessons, protected time to provide feedback to students, and support for special education and career and technical education.
Workers fought for and won an extra day for personal leave, now they will have three days. The district will also now contribute $30 more dollars towards employees health insurance for each year of the contract.
The bargaining team will now send the tentative agreement to all members and the union will hold a vote on it later this month.