CONTRACT UPDATES

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 Click Here for DPS Wage and Contract Proposals

                                                             Click Here for DFT Press Releases regarding negotiations

September

  Sept.14, 2006 - Classes resumed Thursday morning in the Detroit Public Schools system. All
  across the city, picket signs were replaced by attendance sheets as parents sent their
  children into class for the start of a successful school year.

 Sept.13, 2006 -DFT members returned to  school Wednesday, ending a 16-day work action
  where Detroit teachers made it clear that "No Contract, No Work" is more than a slogan.
  An estimated 6,000-7,000 DFT members packed Cobo Arena where President Janna Garrison
  said the tentative agreement "clearly is not everything we sought, but does have enough to allow
  us to go back to work and continue the fight" for better classroom conditions and equity
  in state funding.

  The 75-minute  meeting was marked by hot debate over concessions made by the DFT as well
  as concessions made by the district. Garrison repeatedly said the agreement contains elements
  that "we do not like" as well as elements that represent a sound victory for the DFT.

  During most of the seven months of contract talks, the district insisted on substantial wage cuts and
  other concessions from the DFT.

  The tentative agreement calls for a wage freeze this year, but fully restores step increments
  which were frozen last year. "We would not have come back to you unless we got the step
  increments restored," Garrison said. The agreement gives all DFT members a guaranteed
  base salary increase of 1 percent next year and  a guaranteed 2.5 percent base-salary raise for the
  2008-2009 school year.  The possibility also exists for an additional wage hike if  proponents
  succeed  in passing the K-16  Initiative, which would increase the state foundation allowance..

  "The district wanted a 20 percent cut, a 15 percent cut, a 10 percent cut, a five percent cut, a one
  percent cut, a .5 percent cut in our pay, but we ended up with a zero percent cut," Garrison said.

  In the area of health care benefits, the tentative  pact requires all  members to pay
  10 percent of the cost of their  health insurance. However,  DFT bargainers thwarted the district's
  attempt to increase the co-pay for prescriptions. The DFT team also protected the traditional
  Blue Cross coverage.

  The crowd erupted in boos -- and President Garrison urged them to boo even louder -- at the news
  that elementary teachers will lose one prep period a week this year and next. The prep period will
  be restored in the third  year of the pact.  "You should boo," she said. "Let the district hear you.
   We don't like it, we don't like it, we don't like it. but the question is "can we live with it?' " 

  The crowd also roared its  disapproval of a provision that freezes five sick
  days. The days will be repaid at the current rate upon retirement.

  Teachers were pleased that the pact calls for the district to speed up the timetable for repayment
  of the five days the DFT loaned the district last  year. Two days will be repaid on Sept. 19; the remaining
  will be repaid by Dec. 31, 2007, at the latest.

  Garrison stressed that the fight for better working and learning conditions is far from over. "This fight
  continues," she said. "We will not give up." To read the 2006-2009 tentative agreement that was
  distributed at the meeting, Click Here.

 Sept.12, 2006 --Negotiators for the DFT and the school district  hammered out a  tentative
  three-year agreement after an all-night bargaining session that ended at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday.

  DFT President Janna Garrison said the agreement "is not everything we hoped it would be,
  but we believe it's enough for our teachers to get back to work."

  The breakthrough in the 16-day work action finally came when Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick
  entered the talks Monday evening. Hours earlier, talks seemed to be stalemated. The
  state-appointed mediator called a halt to negotiations around 3 p.m., citing a lack of progress;
  Gov. Jennifer  Granholm then ordered both sides into fact-finding.

  It was against that bleak setting that Mayor Kilpatrick became involved. The parties gathered  about
  8 p.m. in Kilpatrick's office, where negotiations lasted throughout the night. The mayor played an
  active role in brokering the deal that was officially announced at a 1 p.m. press conference in
  the Coleman A. Young Municipal Building. Click Here for photos

  A DFT General Membership meeting will be held at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 13, at
  Cobo Arena. Doors open at 8 a.m. You  will need your 2006 membership card to enter.

  President Garrison will provide details about the tentative pact.  Members will be asked to vote
  to return to work pending formal ratification at the individual schools.

  If members agree to return to work pending ratification, members will immediately report to their
  schools.  Click Here to read Ratification Procedures.

  (Sept.11, 2006) -- DFT and DPS negotiators resumed bargaining late Monday evening
  in yet another attempt to reach a contract. Talks are expected to last well into the night.

  DFT President Janna K. Garrison said she remains hopeful that an agreement can be
  reached.

  The latest round of bargaining came just hours after the state mediator overseeing the
  talks called a halt to negotiations and dismissed both sides from the table. The mediator
  cited a lack of movement.

  In a related development, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm ordered both sides to
  enter fact-finding, which is a non-binding process. A fact-finder has not been named and
  no date has been set for the start of the process.

  More than 90 percent of DFT members continued to walk the picket line Monday in defiance
  of a court order. Local TV stations and newspapers carried reports of strong picket lines and
  empty parking lots at DPS schools. The district announced that school will not be open for
  students tomorrow (Tuesday, Sept. 12) because of the teachers' work action.
  The Detroit School Board will hold a special open meeting at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 12,
  at  New Center One Welcome Center, 3031 W. Grand Blvd. at Second. If no tentative pact has
  been reached, ALL DFT members should  attend that session. For a review of day-to-day
  developments,  Click Here.

 Sept.10, 2006 -- An estimated 3,000 DFT members attended a  membership
  meeting at Cobo Arena where DFT President Janna Garrison and the DFT Executive
  Board read a return-to-work order that was issued Friday by Wayne County Circuit
  Judge Susan Borman. The meeting adjourned after the public reading of the order.

  The union was ordered by the court to hold the meeting and to "advise the
  membership that they are to return to work no later than Monday, September 11, 2006
  by order of the Court."  CLICK HERE to read Judge Borman's order.

  Meanwhile, contract talks are slated to resume Monday morning. No talks were
  held Sunday. No progress was reported in Saturday's talks, which Garrison
  characterized as "regressive." For a review of day-to-day developments,
  Click Here.
 

 Sept. 9, 2006 -- Negotiators met at the Michigan Employment Relations
  Commission (MERC) office for more than 12 hours Saturday, as DFT staff
  prepared for the court-ordered General Membership meeting to be held at 4 p.m.
  Sunday in Cobo Arena, On Friday, Wayne County Circuit Judge Susan Borman
  ordered teachers back to work by Monday. Judge Borman also ordered the 
  DFT to hold the membership meeting. Doors to the arena will open at 3 p.m.;
  members must show a  2006 membership card to enter.

  At a press conference after Friday's ruling, DFT President  Janna Garrison said she would
  "comply with the reading of the order to our members." The DFT president also
  said the union remains committed to getting a fair contract. Detroit students are "entitled
  to clean classrooms with supplies and books, so we're going to fight for those things."

  Judge Borman has told negotiators to continue marathon talks. Friday's talks broke
  off shortly after midnight Friday; they resumed at 9:30 a.m. Saturday.

  The publisher of the Michigan Chronicle blasts the DPS and Superintendent William
  Coleman for the district's handling of the bidding process on a  multi-million dollar
  information technology contract. To read Sam Logan's stinging  analysis, Click Here.
 

 Sept. 8, 2006 --Wayne County Circuit Judge Susan Borman has ordered DFT members
  to return to work no later than Monday, Sept.11. A DFT membership meeting will be held
  at 4 p.m., Sunday,  Sept. 10, at Cobo Arena. Doors will open at 3 p.m.; DFT members
  must  show a 2006 membership card to enter,
  The judge's ruling, made shortly before6 p.m., came at the end of a day that seemed
  to hold the promise of a resolution to the 12-day labor dispute.

  Earlier in the day, Judge  Borman delayed issuing her decision because of reports
  that substantial progress was being made at the table. However, the working day drew
  to a close without the long-awaited tentative agreement.
  Borman also ordered both sides to continue their daily 12-hour marathon bargaining
  sessions.

  Meanwhile thousands of DFT members marched around the Fisher Building Friday
  morning to underscore their demand for a new contract. Click Here for photos.

  Sept. 7, 2006 -- At the  conclusion of nearly 10 hours of testimony, Wayne County Circuit
  Judge Susan  Borman said she will issue a decision at 10 a.m. Friday on whether she will
  order Detroit teachers to return to work.   In the meantime, the judge told the DPS and the
  DFT to return to the bargaining table. DPS officials have been seeking the return-to-work
  order since the work stoppage began some 11 days ago.
  DFT Witnesses at Thursday's hearing included Staff Operations Director Keith Johnson.
  Johnson disputed DPS Superintendent  William Coleman's testimony that the work stoppage
  will  cause lasting harm to the district. Johnson said the district has always made up time lost
  in contract  disputes. The education of Detroit students does not suffer.District witnesses tried
  to fault the DFT for what they claim will be an increase in the number of
  students who leave the district. However,  a  WSU demographer  who testified for the Union
  said that Detroit's downward population spiral along with the advent of charter schools are
  key factors in district's  long-standing enrollment decline  Enrollment declines have occurred
  when school started on time. For a chronology of day-to-day developments,  Click Here
  The DFT has scheduled a mass rally for 9 a.m. Friday in front of the Fisher Building. The rally, a
  show of support for the DFT bargaining team, will run until noon.
  The publisher of the Michigan Chronicle blasted the DPS and Superintendent William
  Coleman for the district's handling of the bidding process on a  multi-million dollar
  information technology contract. To read Sam Logan's stinging  analysis, Click Here.
  When you reach the site, you must click on the headline "DPS IT contract bid  an
  unbelievably tangled mess" to read the entire article.

  Sept. 6, 2006 -- After a grueling 32-hour session that ended at 4 p.m. Tuesday, the DFT
  bargaining team returned to the  negotiating table around 10 a.m. Wednesday, rested and
  ready to continue the fight for a fair contract. As of 5 p.m. Wednesday, talks continued.

  DFT President Janna K. Garrison said the DFT bargaining team has been encouraged,
  entertained and invigorated  by the many accounts of picket-line unity and community support.
  “We walk into those bargaining sessions with heads held high because we know  we are
  supported by the best union members in the world,” she said.
  Be ready to rally: If bargainers have not reached a tentative agreement by Friday, Sept. 8,
  the DFT  will hold a mass rally in front of the Fisher Building to demonstrate support for
  the DFT bargaining team. Our goal as educators is to bring about the best possible teaching
  and learning conditions in our schools. Check the DFT Web site for updated information
  about the status of the rally..

  Reminder: The Detroit Federation of Teachers is the ONLY entity that can sponsor official
  DFT events,  including rallies. All DFT-sanctioned events will be included in the daily Hot Line,
  listed on the Web site and mentioned on the phone Hot Line.

  Interest-free loans:  If you are interested in applying for a loan through the AFT Militancy Fund,
  check with your local  branch of the Michigan First Credit Union. Michigan First requires BOTH
  of the following conditions be met BEFORE applying for an interest-free loan:

   Sept. 5, 2006-- At a hearing Tuesday morning, Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Susan
   Borman once again did not order DFT members to return to the classroom. Instead, the judge
   told the DFT and the district to return to the bargaining table Wednesday morning.
   In a related development, DPS officials announced late Tuesday that schools will be closed
   until further notice. DFT members are to report to their picket sites as usual.
   During Tuesday's court session, Judge Borman said she is not satisfied that the school district
   has proved that it is necessary for her to order teachers back to work. The judge also said she
   has questions about the constitutionality of the law that mandates courts to issue injunctions
   against striking public employees, including teachers.
   The district is still seeking an order to force teachers back to work. Judge Borman set Thursday,
   Sept. 7, for a hearing where the district must show why such an order should be granted.
   Tuesday's hearing was similar to a Friday, Sept. 1, hearing where Borman did not grant the
   district's request for a return-to-work order and instead ordered marathon talks over the Labor
   Day weekend.
   Negotiators put in long hours over the holiday weekend, with the latest session running for 32 straight
   hours before bargainers went home Tuesday afternoon.
   Schools opened Tuesday morning with skeleton crews. Students watched movies or
   TV. Most parents refused to send their children to school because of the lack of adequate supervision.
   Pickets reported that a  six-year-old student wandered away from Winterhalter School
   Tuesday morning. The child was found by a DFT Building Rep who was walking the picket
   line at Dieter, which is is about four blocks from Winterhalter. The child was returned safely
   to its mom.
 

  Sept. 4, 2006 -- Talks resumed Monday after a marathon Sunday session that went
  into the early morning. Meanwhile, more than 600 DFT members demonstrated their
  resolve to get a fair contract as they marched shoulder-to-shoulder down Woodward
  Avenue in the  annual Detroit Labor Day parade. AFL-CIO President John Sweeney
  greeted DFT members, and UAW President Ron Gettlefinger led them in a chant.
  If a tentative  agreement has not been reached by Tuesday morning, DFT members are to
  be back on the picket line. You will have informational flyers to share with the community.

  Schools will be open for three hours Tuesday, either from 7:30 a.m. to 10 :30 a.m., from
  8:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. or from 9 a.m. to noon, depending on the particular school.
  Freshman are to report for orientation at 9 a.m., but 10th, 11th and 12th graders are not to
  report. No classes for medically fragile children: breakfast and lunch for K-8th grades only.
 

  Sept. 3, 2006 --  The school district's Human Resources office has been contacting substitutes
  and telling  them they will be fired if  they do  not report to work on Tuesday. DO NOT  fall for
  these scare tactics. The district is trying to divide and conquer us. Under no circumstances
  should substitute teachers report to work without a tentative agreement. We are one union;
  our strength lies in UNITY.

  Sept. 2, 2006 --  With the scheduled start of school just three days away, local religious leaders
  who were instrumental in resolving last year's deadlocked negotiations, have joined the talks between
  the DFT and the district. Talks moved from the Michigan Employment Relations Commission (MERC)
  office to Fellowship Chapel. Clergy involved in the talks are the Reverends Oscar King and Ken Harris
  of the Council of Baptist Pastors of Detroit and Vicinity, and the Rev. Wendell Anthony, pastor of
  Fellowship Chapel and president of the Detroit branch of the NAACP. Talks are scheduled to run at least
  12 hours a day throughout the rest of the long Labor Day weekend.

  Sept. 1, 2006 -- Wayne County Circuit Judge Susan Borman on Friday did not grant the  school
  district's request for an injunction that would have forced teachers back to work. Instead, the judge told
  the DFT and the DPS  to return to the bargaining table for intensive negotiations over the entire Labor Day
  weekend.  Borman instructed negotiators to meet from 6 p.m.-11 p.m. Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m
  Saturday,  Sunday and Monday. If a tentative agreement is not reached, both sides are to return to
  Borman's court late Tuesday morning.

  In a press conference Friday afternoon,  (Click Here for photos) DFT President Janna Garrison said
  both sides remain "very much apart" because the district is still not taking steps to make the classroom
  the Number One priority. "We believe the district is not properly managing their money," she said, "and
  they're not willing to make the changes" to give Detroit teachers a comparable pay, and to give
  students what they so rightfully deserve.

  Detroit teachers, Garrison said, will not accept from the district things that are not in  the best interest of
  Detroit students.
  The DFT president stressed that teachers and students are connected. "You cannot separate  them," she
  continued. "When you do not pay teachers comparable pay and benefits, you cannot attract and retain
  teachers in your district ... and Detroit  students  need the best and the brightest teachers."
  Garrison said DFT members will not accept a pay cut "because we know we will not be able to attract
  and retain teachers."

  She continued: "It makes absolutely no sense for there  to be classrooms in this district that the district
  cannot fill because they cannot attract and cannot retain teachers."
  Her voice cracking, Garrison said Detroit teachers love their students. "This is our chosen field, to teach. We
  care about our students, and we care about what goes on in the classroom."

  Garrison said the district has the money to "get the classroom right. We demand that this district do just
  that. No more excuses. No more wasting time. We are going to stand up and fight, but what we are fighting
  for is not only ourselves, it is our students."

  The district is requesting nearly $90 million in concessions this year, including a 5.5 percent pay cut. Last
  year the DFT gave the district about $63 million in concessions.

                                                                  August

  Aug. 31, 2006 -- Marathon bargaining resumed at 10 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 31, under a gag order that

  prevents members of both bargaining teams from discussing the status of the talks. On Wednesday,
  Aug. 30, talks ran from 7 a.m. to midnight.

  A rally that is reportedly slated for today is NOT sponsored by the DFT.
 

  Aug. 30, 2006 -- Marathon negotiations continued Wednesday at the Michigan Employment
  Relations Commission (MERC) office. Across the city, DFT members, parents, children, community
  activists, politicians, labor union members and even a few pet dogs picketed schools in a
  strong demonstration of solidarity. According to DFT tallies, fewer than 100 people have crossed
  the picket line. The DFT has a total of 9,500 members.

  If you have moved or changed your phone number, notify the DFT immediately at 313-875-3500.
  It is important that we have an up-to-date list of addresses and phone numbers. For a chronology of
  details day-to-day developments, Click Here

  Aug. 29, 2006 -- “We are making some progress.” Those words from DFT President Janna Garrison
  drew cheers and applause from DFT Picket Captains who were gathered at the DFT office Tuesday
  morning. The Picket Captains take the Hot Line to the picket sites each morning. “I am hopeful that we
  can get this  resolved,” the tired but determined DFT president said.  Garrison ducked into the meeting
  for a few seconds during a break in the marathon bargaining sessions  that Wayne County Circuit Judge
  Susan Borman ordered Monday. School Superintendent William Coleman is present
  at the bargaining table.
  Meanwhile, the district is continuing its efforts to convince the court to order teachers back to work. So far
  the the district's efforts have been unsuccessful. Tallks lasted until 6 p.m. Tuesday. They are scheduled
  to resume at 7 a.m. Wednesday. The parties will be joined by Circuit Court Judge James Rashid.

Aug. 28, 2006 -- Wayne County Circuit Judge Susan Borman ordered the district and the union to
start round-the-clock bargaining at 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 28. Judge Borman's order
came down late Monday afternoon. Earlier in the day, the district sent the DFT a letter requesting
around-the-clock talks. DFT President Janna Garrison welcomed the judge's order. "We have
been engaging in 'around-the-clock waiting' since negotiations began," she said. "The district
has set a pattern of delaying and postponing talks. We are ready and eager to do what it takes
to get a fair contract so our schools can open and our students can get back in the classroom."
For a chronology of day-to-day developments, Click Here

Aug. 27, 2006 --DFT members soundly rejected a proposed two-year contract with the DPS. The district
proposals, which were repeatedly denounced from the floor by DFT members, call for some $90 million
in concessions, including a 5.5 percent wage cut, as much as a 20 percent co-pay for health care benefits,
and a freeze in step increments for another two years. "The district completely failed to put the priority on
the classroom," DFT President Janna Garrison told the gathering. She said the district's real problem
isn't a lack of money, "it's how they spend the money that's the problem." Referring to DPS Superintendent
William Coleman's statement that administrators would be used to open the schools if the teachers were
out, Garrison said: "If the district has enough administrators to teach 125,000 students, that's a
problem." To read the DFT Press Release on the vote, Click Here.

Aug. 26, 2006 -- The district's economic package, which district negotiators finally presented on Friday,
 Aug. 25, will be detailed at the Sunday, Aug. 27, Membership Meeting at Cobo Arena. DFT President
Janna Garrison said the economic package, which still contains a demand for $90 million in concessions,
fails to place the needs of the classroom at the top of the priority list. The Membership Meeting begins
at 2 p.m.; Cobo Arena doors will open at 1 p.m.
TV Casting Call: Attention Detroit Teachers--If you would like to appear in a TV news profile, please
call Michelle Price at 313-875-3500 ext. 792, by the close of business Monday, Aug. 28, 2006.
The DFT has filed Unfair Labor Practice charges against the district. Click Here The district has
also filed Unfair Labor Practice charges against the DFT.

Aug. 25, 2006; 4 p.m. --Contract negotiations broke off Friday afternoon after the district came to the
bargaining session with no intention of reaching an agreement. Lamont Satchel, the district's chief negotiator,
made the district's intentions clear when he began the negotiating session by proposing that parties schedule
bargaining dates in September -- after teachers and students are scheduled to be in school. Click Here
to read complete DFT statement.
AFT President Edward McElroy supports our efforts to get a fair contract. Click Here to read McElroy's
letter to the DFT.

Aug. 25, 2006 -- The state mediator involved in contract talks between the DFT and the school district ordered
the bargaining teams to meet at the Michigan Employment Relations Commission (MERC) office at 1 p.m. today,
Friday Aug. 25. Mediator James Amar moved the talks from DPS headquarters after the district was late and unprepared
for negotiations on Thursday, Aug. 24. The district also requested numerous delays so it could get its proposals
together. After waiting nearly eight hours for talks to start, Amar adjourned the bargaining session for the day. He told
the district to be prepared to negotiate on Friday. Reminder: The General Membership meeting will be held at 2 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 27, at Cobo Arena. Doors will open at 1 p.m. You need your 2006 DFT membership card to enter.
 

Aug. 24, 2006 --In a recent letter that the district sent to all DFT members, the district exaggerated
the extent of its financial problems while making its case for concessions from teachers. The DFT
bargaining team discovered the discrepancies after reviewing  financial information
supplied to the union this week. The union had been requesting that information since July. Click Here
for the DFT Press Release on this issue. No progress was  made at the Wednesday (Aug. 23) contract talks.
Negotiations resumed Thursday afternoon.

Aug. 23, 2006 -- Bargaining resumed at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. By late afternoon, both sides
were still at the table. Both major newspapers carried articles about the Aug. 22 mass
rally. Click Here for the Detroit Free Press article; Click Here for the Detroit News article.
Reminder:  You will need a 2006 DFT membership card to gain entry into the Aug. 27 General
Membership meeting, which starts  at 2 p.m. in Cobo Arena. If you do not have your card, you
can get one from the DFT Office Do not wait until the day of the meeting to get your card. A
crush of last-minute requests could cause you to be late for the meeting. 

If you have moved or changed your phone number, notify the DFT immediately at 313-875-3500.
It is important that we have an up-to-date list of addresses and phone numbers. For details about
day-to-day developments, including the district's request for concessions and the DFT contract
proposals, Click Here

 
Aug. 22, 2006 --While motorists honked their horns in support, an estimated 5,000 DFT members and
supporters marched four- and five-abreast around the Fisher Building Tuesday morning to show their
determination to get a fair contract. With negotiations at a standstill and with teachers scheduled to report
to school on Aug. 28, the union leadership is pulling out all the stops to get the talks moving so
school can open on time for Detroit students. School is scheduled to start Sept. 5 for students. To cheers
from the huge crowd, President Garrison said the DFT will not allow the district to solve
its financial problems on the backs of teachers. The district wants nearly $90 million in wage cuts and/or
benefit reductions from the DFT. Following the rally, talks lasted for several hours. Negotiations are
scheduled to resume Wednesday.


Aug. 21, 2006 -- Bargainers met for eight hours Saturday and another five hours on Sunday, but failed
to make any progress. No talks are scheduled for today ( Monday, Aug. 21) because the district
requested time for its bargaining team to meet. Talks are scheduled to resume Tuesday.
  Be sure to attend the Support Rally at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 22. Meet at the DFT office
and we will walk en masse to school headquarters. For details
about day-to-day developments, including the district's request for concessions
and the DFT contract proposals, Click Here

Aug. 18,2006 -- Contract talks lasted about five hours Thursday (Aug. 17), but no progress
was made. No talks are held on Fridays. Talks will resume Saturday and Sunday.
Attention Building Reps: An important briefing will be held for Building Reps ONLY before the
start of the Aug. 22 rally. Please arrive at the DFT office at 9 A.M. for this briefing. Please be
prompt because the mass rally kicks off at 9:30 a.m.
 

  Aug. 17, 2006 -- In addition to requesting nearly $90 million in cuts from the DFT, the district
  now proposes to extend the school day by 10 minutes. This increase is not related to the
  state-mandated hours of instruction or length of the school year. It is purely and simply an
  increase in the total number of hours the district wants you to work. The DFT bargaining team
  rejected this proposal.

  Aug. 16, 2006 --- The DFT work-action committee needs volunteers to implement any work-action
  plans. For more information, contact committee chair  Sidney Lee at the DFT office -- 313-875-3500. If

  Lee is not available, contact the DFT's Michelle Price or Michelle Broughton-Gibson.

  In an effort to get contract talks moving in the right direction, DFT President Janna Garrison will meet
  today with members of the Detroit clergy. Last year the religious leaders played a
  key role in preventing what seemed like an inevitable work stoppage.

  At the Aug. 14 bargaining update for DFT Building Reps, the Building Reps received copies of the

  district's Wage and Contract Proposals. (Click Here) The district is seeking nearly $90 million in concessions from
  the DFT. The proposals offer a variety of suggestions for reaching the district's target. Garrison told
  the Building Reps that the DFT will not allow the district to solve its problems on the backs of teachers.

  "Asking our teachers to make these sacrifices is ridiculous," she said, adding that pay cuts or
  concessions would make it more difficult to retain teachers or hire new ones. "The district has not made
  the tough cuts and changes that are necessary, such as closing more schools because of Detroit's shrinking
  population." Garrison also said  there is a "philosophical difference" between the DFT and
  the DPS about spending priorities. The union wants the district to use some of its "Special Purposes Funds (31A)
  to help pay the costs of class-size reduction, security, professional development and all-day kindergarten.

  The district insists on using those funds for such a variety of other school activities. "While some of those
  programs and activities are nice, the district's first priority must be to get the classroom right and to make
  our schools safe and secure. We need books, we need supplies, we need technology, and we need
  support services. If we get the classroom right in the first place, we won't  need most of those other
  supplemental programs."

  Aug. 14, 2006 ---Although contract bargaining continued Saturday and Sunday, no progress was
  made. More talks are scheduled for today, Aug. 14. The DFT bargaining team met with DFT Building Reps

  today and informed them that talks are not going well. President Garrison stressed the importance of
  a huge turnout at the Aug. 22 rally. Remember to wear your DFT shirt or  your school shirt.
  If you have moved or changed your phone number, please notify the DFT immediately at 313-875-3500.
  It is important that we have an up-to-date list of addresses and phone numbers. To view the flyer for
  the rally, Click Here

Aug.11, 2006 --- No progress is being made in negotiations. At the conclusion of Thursday's (Aug. 10)
talks, the DPS and the DFT were no closer to a new contract than we were when bargaining started.
Negotiations are not held on Fridays. However, sessions are scheduled for Saturday (Aug. 12) and Sunday
(Aug. 13).For details about day-to-day developments, including the district's request for concessions
and the DFT's  contract proposals,  Click Here

Aug. 9, 2006 --- Bargaining continued today (Aug. 9). If you need a 2006 DFT membership card (which
is required for entry into the Aug. 27 General Membership meeting) do not wait until the day of the meeting
to get your card. A crush of last-minute requests could cause you to be late for the meeting. Reminder: Attend
the DFT rally on Aug. 22 to support the DFT bargaining team. We will gather at 9:30 a.m. at the DFT office for
a pre-rally. Then, with President Garrison and the bargaining team in the lead, we will march en masse to
the Fisher Building. Wear your DFT shirt or your school shirt. Click Here

Aug. 8 --  Bargaining lasted about two hours today (Aug. 8). Little progress is being made. Bargaining is scheduled to
resume at 10:30 a.m.Wednesday, Aug. 9. A General Membership Meeting will be held from 2 p.m. to 5 p. m. Sunday, Aug. 27,
at Cobo Arena to update members on the status of bargaining. You must present your 2006 DFT membership
card and a  photo ID to enter. If you need a new card, contact the DFT at 313-875-3500. To see Hot Line flyer,  Click Here

Aug. 7  -- DFT members are scheduled to report to school at 8:30 a.m. Monday, Aug. 28, 2006. The school day will run
from 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Schools will be closed for Labor Day on Thursday, Aug. 31, Friday, Sept. 1 and
Monday, Sept. 4. Students are scheduled to return to school on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2006, at the school's regular
starting time. This is scheduled to be a full day. 8/07/06

Reminder for Building Reps: Meet at the DFT office at 11 a.m.  Monday, Aug. 14, for an update on negotiations. This
session is for Building Reps only. If you cannot attend, please ask your alternate or School Union Committee member
to attend in your place.

July

July 26 -- The District has submitted to the State of Michigan a revised Deficit Elimination Plan
  that calls for $105 million in employee concessions -- with  $88.9 million of those concessions coming from
  the DFT. District bargainers have presented the DFT bargaining team with a list of suggested concessions
  that allegedly would achieve the savings the District is seeking from the DFT. DFT members would have to take
  a 20 percent cut in pay to reach District's $88.9 million target for us. If DFT members took a 10 percent cut
  in pay, the District maintains it  would still need an additional $45 million  in other concessions -- changes in health
  care coverage, prescriptions, salary steps, etc. The DFT is not in agreement with the district's assertion that the DFT's
  share of the  $105  million in concessions is $89.9 million. Any pay cut,  be it 20 percent, 10 percent or 1 percent,- is
  totally unacceptable to the Union.

 July 1-23 -- Bargaining sessions were held almost daily during the first two weeks in July. During the week of July 17, members of the DFT bargaining will be out of town, attending the American Federation of Teachers national convention in Boston.

June

A total of 16 sessions have been held as of  June 26, 2006. In late June LaMont Satchel, the district's Chief Operating Officer, replaces Debra Williams as the district's lead negotiator.

March

 DFT President Janna Garrison and DPS Chief Human Resources Officer Debra Williams shake hands over the bargaining table on March 6, 2006, to signaled the start of negotiations on a new contract between the DFT and the district.

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