ST. LOUIS — KIPP High School staff members voted Friday to decertify their union representation after more than a year of failing to negotiate a contract with the charter school network.
The vote tally overseen by the National Labor Relations Board was 19 to 17 against the union.
“Although we are disappointed that the anti-union drive conducted by the Right to Work Foundation was successful, one silver lining for KIPP ºüÀêÊÓƵ Charter School educators is the 10% raises that can be credited to AFT ºüÀêÊÓƵ’ efforts,†said Byron Clemens, spokesman for the American Federation of Teachers Local 420, in a statement.
In November 2022, the high school’s teachers and support staff voted to unionize but negotiations stalled over the union’s push for third-party arbitration for grievances and just cause for termination. KIPP offered the teachers 10% raises, but under federal law they could not be awarded while a contract was being negotiated.
People are also reading…
About two dozen unionized staff members held a one-day strike last month at the school on north Jefferson Avenue. After the strike, KIPP teacher Robin Johnston started a petition to decertify the union. The National Right to Work Foundation, which provides legal services to workers fighting against unions, filed the petition with the federal labor board.