North Santiam Chapter 122 demands respect
About 40 members of North Santiam Chapter 122 stood united behind their president last week as she told the school board that classified employees expect — and deserve — respect.
North Santiam Chapter 122 President Sella Bemrose addresses the school board on Oct. 20.
President Sella Bemrose informed the board during its Oct. 20 meeting that contract negotiations between the union and the district have broken down and are headed to mediation. She told them that throughout negotiations, the chapter’s negotiations team has been treated shabbily.
“(Superintendent) Andy Gardner (has) said that I have handled myself very graciously throughout this whole process,” said Bemrose, adding, “I am sorry to say the district’s negotiating team has not handled themselves as graciously.”
Bemrose went on to say her team had “been lectured at, yelled at … and ridiculed.”
“At the next to last meeting, the board member on the team demanded of me, ‘What is wrong with you?’ Quite frankly, I don’t think anything is wrong with me,” Bemrose said. “He then turned and muttered, ‘How stupid are you?’ He was heard saying it by several people.
“Personally, I don’t think or believe I am stupid.”
But for Bemrose, perhaps the worst act of disrespect didn’t occur during negotiations. Instead it was a comment the superintendent made welcoming certified and classified staff back to school: “NSSD (North Santiam School District) has amazing teachers — and our classified, well they just have jobs.”
Bemrose said the words still sting.
“Classified does not feel like that Andy,” Bemrose said, directly addressing the superintendent during the school board meeting. “It’s more than just a job — it’s our passion! We deserve an apology.”
Gardner responded by apologizing to Bemrose.
Backing Bemrose up at the school board meeting was chapter Secretary Melanie Norman, who went on to list the number of “wrongs” committed by the district’s team in negotiations. These included coming late to meetings, texting during negotiations and not taking the economic hardships of classified employees seriously.
“So, where do we go from here,” Norman asked. “Let me propose a solution. … First, Superintendent Gardner and the board member (on the district’s negotiation team) should deliver a sincere apology to the classified team and the entire union.”
She then proposed that the district drop its request to mediate, noting mediation will be costly for the district. Norman then urged the district to return to the bargaining table with a “respectful and economically appropriate” proposal for classified employees.
“Or, we continue toward mediation,” Norman said. “The choice is yours Superintendent Gardner.”
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