Contract Negotiations Update

The NHFT Negotiations team came to the table prepared. Unlike the Board of Education’s team, we started our work months before the first negotiation session in August. But here’s what's really disheartening – On Wednesday night, when we were making progress, the Board’s team decided to walk away from the negotiating table and proceed to arbitration. The contrast couldn’t be clearer – ten dedicated NHFT educators, on their day off, were ready to work all night for our members, our schools, and our students, and the Board’s team chose to walk away without even responding to our counter proposals. And that is why we need each of you to take action now.

We need every NHFT member to click this link to contact the Mayor and Board of Education and demand they come back to the table and negotiate a fair contract.

The good news is we are close to agreement on some economic issues. However, some of the Board’s other proposals are very concerning. They want significant increases to health insurance costs. They are trying to take away fundamental rights of teachers that our contract has protected for years. They want the unilateral right to lengthen our workday, take away holidays, and record us in the classroom. The Board’s proposals will limit teacher input and teacher voice. Their proposals will increase our workload significantly, while limiting students’ access to services and putting the culture and climate of our buildings at risk. And this, at a time when teachers and students need more support, not more top-down demands, to ensure we have enough certified professionals to safely staff our schools.

We want to share some of what is at stake:

Their Proposals	Our Proposals
26 meetings/year	Keep current contract language: 14 meetings/year
Departmentalized teachers will teach 6 periods a day and 3 different subjects	Keep current contract language: Departmentalized teachers will teach 5 periods a day and 2 subjects
Significant increases in health care costs	We are committed to retaining health care options with reasonable premiums
Board has unilateral right to increase our workday and take away holidays	Current contract language of 6.75 hours a day; add Juneteenth and Eid al-Fitr into contract
The Board will not agree to specific caseloads for Special Educators, Pupil Personnel, ELL Teachers, or School Counselors or ensure that all of our schools have a full-time Library Media Specialist	Caseload caps and improved ratios for Special Educators, Pupil Personnel, ELL Teachers, and School Counselors and a full-time Library Media Specialist in every school

If the Board does not come back to the table, decisions about these important issues will be put into the hands of an arbitrator. That is why it is important to click this link and contact the Mayor and Board of Education.

Our goal has always been to represent our members and advocate for the working conditions, salaries, and benefits that will help to retain teachers and positively impact our schools. NHFT union members know better than anyone that our working conditions are our students’ learning conditions and we are committed to improving both. Thank you for taking action now to help us deliver a fair contract for our members.

In solidarity,

Leslie Blatteau
President, NHFT