Months later, talks with CCSD unions over vaccine mandate yet to begin

More than two-and-a-half months aft the Clark County School Board approved a arguable COVID-19 vaccination mandate for employees, negotiations betwixt the schoolhouse territory and the unions person yet to begin.

A Clark County School District spokesperson said Tuesday that immoderate archetypal conversations astir the mandate person taken spot with worker unions, but ceremonial negotiations person not yet started.

The School Board voted 5-1 connected Sept. 2 to approve a vaccine mandate, which called for negotiating with unions and allowing for spiritual and aesculapian exemptions. Trustee Danielle Ford voted “no” and Trustee Katie Williams wasn’t present.

The gathering drew hundreds of radical and the committee heard much than 5 hours of nationalist comments — the overwhelming bulk of which were opposed to a mandate — earlier the vote.

Memorandums of statement with 5 worker unions implicit the mandate, which could interaction astir 42,000 schoolhouse territory employees, are expected to yet travel backmost earlier the board. But determination is not yet immoderate timetable for that to happen.

About 71 percent of schoolhouse territory employees person uploaded a completed vaccination paper into an online platform. That’s up from 67 percent astatine the clip of the vote.

The Clark County Education Association, which represents teachers and different licensed employees, didn’t person updates Tuesday astir the mandate. A spokeswoman confirmed that negotiations haven’t started with the district.

Education Support Employees Association spokesperson Alexander Marks said Monday that to his knowledge, determination haven’t been immoderate negotiations betwixt the national and schoolhouse territory astir the vaccination mandate.

The superior absorption has been the union’s corporate bargaining agreement, which was conscionable ratified implicit the weekend, helium said. The point is connected Thursday’s School Board docket for imaginable approval.

Negotiations besides haven’t formally started with the Clark County Association of School Administrators and Professional-Technical Employees.

Executive Director Stephen Augspurger said Tuesday that the national received an enquiry from the territory arsenic to whether he’s inactive a national negotiator since he’s retiring soon, but nary ceremonial sessions person been held.

Augspurger said he’s sure, though, negotiations volition beryllium forthcoming.

Contact Julie Wootton-Greener astatine jgreener@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-387-2921. Follow @julieswootton connected Twitter.