Cerf, the new “decider” in Newark, decides to break the unions
Christopher Cerf, the state-appointed superintendent of the Newark schools, has unilaterally taken actions that threaten the future of collective bargaining rights of the city’s school employee unions–and maybe even the future of the unions. Cerf announced he was imposing a salary settlement on members of the City Association of School Administrtators (CASA), the union representing school principals, and he directed that prescription benefits plans be changed without a new agreement with the Newark Teachers Union (NTU).
“I am making the decision,” Cerf wrote in a letter to Tina Taylor, CASA’s president, saying he would unilaterally impose a new salary guide on principals and other administrators and take away a $6 million “contract ratification bonus” because, in his view, the union had waited to long to reach an agreement. His words were reminiscent of Gov. Chris Christie’s warnings to then newly-elected mayor Ras Baraka that he–Christie–was the decider of what happened in and to Newark schools.
“It’s clear that this latest move by Cerf is an attempt to break the CASA union,” said Tina Taylor, CASA’s president. The union has not had a new contract since 2009.
At the same time, Cerf’s “chief talent officer,” Vanessa Rodriguez, announced in a letter to the provider of prescription drug benefits, the General Prescription Plan (GPP) that, “It is a decision of Newark Public Schools to cancel our Prescription coverage” for school employee unions, including the NTU. She demanded that the GPP turn over to her all information about subscribers held by the provider.
The prescription plan, provided under contract with the Newark Supplemental Fringe Benefits Program (SBF), ends Feb. 1, Rodriguez said.
“We’re going to court,” said NTU President John Abeigon, who contended Cerf acted “with no financial discussion with the Newark Advisory Board (and) without any power to do so.”
Abeigon said Cerf’s decision to cancel the prescription contract as of Feb. 1came after the union refused to drop the SFB-backed prescription plan. The union Cerf, the new “decider” in Newark, decides to break the unions | Bob Braun's Ledger:
