The Decatur Federation of Teaching Assistants were bargaining for a new union contract. Their contract had expired on June 30, 2023.
A new contract was approved retroactively for July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2025. DFTA ratified it the week of September 26th, 2023. The School Board approved it on October 10th, 2023.
Service Employees International Union #73 (SEIU) Security workers were also negotiating a new contract, but this is not covered here.
Download the 2023-2025 DFTA agreement.
What DFTA wants
DFTA's biggest ask is wage increases for Teaching Assistants.
For details, see Decatur Schools giving a 'hard no' to union requests, says DFTA President
DFTA Rally | September 12th, 2023
DFTA Members and SEIU 73 members held a rally on September 12th, 2023 at the Keil Administration Building, prior to the public Board Meeting.
See Unions Rally before DPS61 Board Meeting
Federal Mediation
DFTA speakers at the September 12th Rally say the first meeting with a Federal Mediator will be Monday September 18th, 2023.
Strikes
As of September 13th, 2023, DFTA is not on strike. DFTA President Michelle Mitchell has said they hope to resolve the negotiations without a strike.
Past Union issues
DFTA also had trouble negotiating a contract in 2019. Those negotiations led to a strike, but the strike ended after the District threatened to terminate health insurance coverage.