Board member objects to procedure on union talks
Photo 
Kevin Murray
Photo
Bill Sodemann
JANESVILLE — A Janesville School Board member is objecting to the way negotiations ended last week between the board and the district's unions.
The two sides met once before Christmas to consider how the unions might help the district save money next school year.
A second meeting was scheduled Dec. 29, but it was not held after school board President Bill Sodemann sent a letter to the unions.
Kevin Murray was one of four people on the school board's negotiating team. He said the board should have met to consider its next step before the letter was sent.
Sodemann, also among the negotiators, said he followed board policy in deciding not to hold a special meeting.
The policy states the board's president can call a special meeting if a majority of the board approves.
Sodemann said he reached all board members and that only two of the nine, Murray and Karl Dommershausen, objected.
Murray said a deal with the unions still might be possible, but he wouldn't know for sure without discussing it with the rest of the board. He said he might ask Sodemann for a special meeting in advance of the board's next regular meeting Tuesday.
Murray said he doesn't know if the unions would have been open to other ideas because the scheduled meeting didn't happen.
The unions had proposed changing their health insurance to a point-of-service plan they said would save at least $1.4 million.
In exchange, the unions wanted the school board to approve an employee handbook that would take the place of union contracts in 2013.
Sodemann responded in the letter that the claim of savings was questionable and that the district should take more time to consider options before changing the insurance plan.
Also, creating the handbook could not be done quickly enough, Sodemann wrote.
The handbook would include work rules but also would outline benefits union members now receive, with financial implications. The unions made it clear they wanted a handbook favorable to them.
"It would not be prudent to agree to make commitments to rush through a new handbook in exchange for possible, unknown, one-year savings on an insurance plan," Sodemann wrote in the letter. "If you would still like to meet on the 29th to go over this information or to get confirmation from our insurance consultant of these findings, we are happy to do so. If you are willing to discuss any other options, we would still wish to meet. If the unions do not wish to discuss any other options, then meeting on the 29th may not serve any purpose. Please let us know how you would like to proceed from here."
Sodemann said Dave Parr, president of the teachers union, had said "that if the health insurance/handbook idea was not going to work, to let him know so that they would not waste time on another meeting. The letter was done in part as a courtesy to them (the unions) as well as to clarify what the understandings were."
Jan 5, 2012 at 10:21 a.m.
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Feduptaxpayer: You definitely need to run for the Board of Education. You've got all of the answers!
Jan 5, 2012 at 6:55 a.m.
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Recall Murray
Jan 5, 2012 at 6:47 a.m.
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Roadmaster
Hope he had staff contact the other board members
Jan 5, 2012 at 2:42 a.m.
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oh no, the union would have wanted them printed on union presses, delivered to each member by a UPS driver.
Jan 5, 2012 at 12:58 a.m.
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Who says the handbook has to be written with quill on scroll? It's time to drag the School Board "kicking a screaming" into the 21st century. The Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook is available on your Kindle Fire in under a minute. $6.20 includes free wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet.
Jan 4, 2012 at 8:14 p.m.
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I don't know much about Sodeman or the Board of Ed. but I do know that Tim Bremmel's political ideology definitely leans to the right. That's quite obvious from his numerous comments. He needs to attempt to remain neutral if he wants to maintain any degree of impartiality. I used to listen to his show but lately find him repulsive.
Jan 4, 2012 at 5:06 p.m.
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Sodeman
Who cares what the rest of board thinks. You are the president and they will fall in line. Nice job on the radio the other day also. You and bremmel are two peas in a pod. Pretty sure I heard Bremmel use an analogy as to why the JEA should pay now that went something like this.-If your garage started on fire and your car burned up you would just deal with it and move on because it was unforseen. Well Tim the garage isn't starting on fire for another year so I am planning ahead and saving money for a new car since I know it will be gone in the future. Nice analogy though. Please do tell me, either of you BIll or tim, that you would volunteer to give your employer thousands of dollars a year before you have to. And no it isn't going to save any jobs. If the shortfall is 6-10 mil and the teachers paying in now adds up to 3mil where is the rest coming from? Sure isn't coming from the taxpayer as bill won't let that happen. Doesn't add up as to job savings now does it.
I am sure Phones plus is giving discounts to any state/municipal contracts he has since the state is broke. Everyone knows anyone who does work for the state jacks the price up. Maybe you don't have any contracts with a public entity, I don't know but I am pretty sure nobody in the private sector gives them a discount because the state is "broke". And yes I will lump you into this catagory.
THe last thing you want is to allow actual input from the teachers on the handbook because that might mean you couldn't destroy them as you plan. You have made numerous comments in the paper or on the radio that retirement benefits are too good, too many sick days, pay is too high, cadillac insurance, and that this will all change in 2013. Go ahead and do your damage and you will see an exodus. And the line about you wanting "to design a handbook in order to attract the best teachers to Janesville" was the absolute biggest line of BS I have ever heard come out of your mouth. Guess what, all they have to do is google Janesville school district and read the numerous articles in the gazette and comments from you to get the real picture of the value of education in this town. Starting from you Bill.
Jan 4, 2012 at 5:04 p.m.
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Sounds like Sodermann violated the Open Meetings law buy conducting an unnoticed meeting by contacting a majority of the Board. While they could conduct a meeting in closed session, it still would have had to been noticed.
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