Janesville Teachers Union Threatens School Board With Lawsuit

The Janesville teachers union is threatening to sue the school district if the school board does not agree to negotiate new contracts.

Union President Dave Parr says they may sue because he says teachers are being told to sign individual contracts for next year – without knowing what their working conditions and benefits would be under the school’s new handbook, which has not yet been released. Parr says teachers have been told to sign the contract by April 15 or be terminated.

“We feel it’s very unfair that you would ask us to sign a contract when nobody knows what’s going to be on that contract without negotiating or without discussing what the terms of that contract would be. So the law allows that if school districts will not bargain, that you can force them to the table.”

A ruling by Dane County Judge Juan Colas is pending before a state appeals court. It nullifies the collective bargaining law for school and local government workers in Madison and Milwaukee. However, still to be decided is whether the ruling pertains to Janesville and school districts statewide.

School Board President Bill Sodemann says they are working to get clarification and he says the ruling is also holding up completion of the new handbook.

“It will be based upon the judge’s decision in Madison. We had to be careful of implementing things because we weren’t sure what the ramifications would be if we proceeded under the ruling that Judge Colas made.”

Sodemann says there will likely be changes to the handbook that teachers may not like; however, he says, they will get a chance to look at the new rules and benefits changes before new contracts are locked. Sodemann says teachers have until mid-June to resign without penalty. Parr says the board has until next Wednesday to negotiate or they will sue.