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Editorial: Spokane school labor talks should be open to public

Thu., Sept. 3, 2015

Before the latest round of labor negotiations, the Spokane Education Association and Spokane Public Schools apparently agreed not to bargain in the media. So now they’re doing it on social media and Internet websites, and it isn’t pretty.

If you log on for reliable details, you’ll be sorely disappointed.

Allies of district employees urge people to contact workers before forming an opinion on a possible strike starting this Friday. And what would one learn from these sworn-to-secrecy sources? Well, they want a “fair” contract and what’s best for the kids. Contact the district, and you’ll learn that their offers are “competitive” and that they, too, care deeply about the students.

That’s not much to go on, and this lack of detail invites the kind of ill-informed arguments happening on various Facebook pages.

The only reason any numbers are known is the district release of some “sample” salary offers, noting that the examples shouldn’t be confused with the current ones. The union shot back that these numbers were misleading and that, by announcing them, the district had broken the Cone of Silence.

It ought to be broken for good, because the sniping just generates a lot of confusing noise. There is no objective way to judge such disputes when the talks are conducted in private and details are strategically leaked.

We’ve long advocated a public process for labor negotiations. It’s fine for teams to meet in private to form strategy, but once they engage each other, it ought to be in a public meeting, with minutes and pertinent information posted online in a timely fashion.

Many Spokanites were caught unaware that a labor dispute was percolating as the new school year approached. It shouldn’t be this way, but the Legislature chose to exempt labor negotiations from the Public Records Act. A bill to throw open the doors to an inquiring public has been introduced in the past two legislative sessions, but to no avail. Idaho recently passed such a law. Colorado adopted one via a citizens’ initiative.

In this age of social media, it’s folly to think disputes will be kept under wraps.

The district has a helpful study of how district salaries stack up against others around the state, but we had to file a public records request after learning of its existence. Under transparent negotiations, such information would be posted prominently and promoted. It provides the kind of context needed for an informed opinion.

Contracts with teachers, firefighters, police officers and other public employees represent the lion’s share of spending by government. The impact on the public is obvious, so it has a right to know.

If you think a public process would be messy, log into social media and behold the mayhem. If you find this frustrating, demand transparency.