Baldwin-Whitehall teachers, district reach contract agreement

Aug. 11--After 18 months of negotiations, Baldwin-Whitehall teachers have a new, five-year contract that outlines raises, health insurance contributions and updated language.

School board members approved the collective bargaining agreement in a 7-2 vote Wednesday, with board members Martin Michael Schmotzer and Elliot Rambo dissenting.

The contract is retroactive for July 1, 2015 and runs through June 30, 2020.

"With a good negotiation process, there's things that we win, there's things that we lose," said Superintendent Randal Lutz, lead negotiator for the district. "You both walk away with things that you wanted but didn't get. That's a good process."

Members of the 262-member Baldwin-Whitehall Education Association, which includes the district's teachers, guidance counselors, social workers and nurses, approved the contract in July, Lutz said.

The two parties agreed to terms of the deal in late May, yet time to draft and vote on the documentation was needed, Lutz said.

"The time frame was a mutually agreed upon," he said.

The average raise for the BWEA employees over the life of the contract is 2.94 percent per year, Lutz said. This is inclusive of step movement.

For the first year, everyone was moved up a step, a system used for teacher salaries, but only got half the value of that step, Lutz said.

Baldwin-Whitehall works on a 19-step system, with each step movement under the contract, including a pay increase, Lutz said. The top step, or "masters level," includes a salary of $94,000, he said. One a person hits that step, they only are eligible for a $950 pay increase over the life of the five year contract, the superintendent said.

All BWEA members also will be required to switch to an EPO in-network health insurance plan from a PPO out-of-network plan in 2016-17, Lutz said. Previously, only new employees were required to partake in EPO program.

With the switch, the district will save about $1,200 per year for one employee on a family plan, Lutz said.

Health insurance contributions also will increase from 6.5 percent of the premium to 8.5 percent over the life of the contract, Lutz said.

Other changes in the contract included adjustments in language.

"We worked through 36 different language issues that I think overall provide more flexibility and more clarity for management to basically manage the district," Lutz said.

Stephanie Hacke is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 412-388-5818 or [email protected].

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