Efforts to derail the collective bargaining agreement for school employees in Jefferson Parish were thwarted on Friday when a district judge refused to grant a restraining order that would have halted the process.
More than 3,000 paraprofessionals and school related personnel in the parish won the right to negotiate a contract last Wednesday, when the Jefferson Parish School Board voted 5-3 to grant bargaining rights to the Jefferson Federation of Teachers and Service Employees International Union Local 21. The board agreed to negotiate with the unions after JFT and SEIU presented petitions signed by an overwhelming number of employees asking for collective bargaining.
On Friday, an anti-union cabal comprising Frank Morales, Glen W. Hayes, Sr., incoming school board member Glenn W. Hayes, Jr., The Jefferson Chamber of Commerce and The Jefferson Business Council asked District Judge Patrick McCabe for a Temporary restraining Order that would have prohibited the school board from recognizing JFT and SEIU are bargaining representatives for the employees.
The anti-union forces argued that the school board could not legally grant bargaining rights because no election had been held to select bargaining agents, and because the board had not received permission to negotiate contracts from a federal court overseeing parish desegregation orders.
Judge McCabe agreed with attorneys for the unions that Louisiana law does not allow a Temporary Restraining Order to be issued in this case.
The Court has scheduled a hearing on Wednesday, December 15 to determine whether the plaintiffs are entitled to a Preliminary Injunction that would prohibit the School Board from taking further actions to negotiate with the unions.
Because the Judge denied the Temporary Restraining Order, no restrictions or limitations have been imposed on the Board at this time.
If negotiations continue according to last week’s board decision, and contracts are ratified by both the school board and the employees, JFT will represent paraeducators, clerical employees and school crossing guards, and SEIU will represent custodial and maintenance workers, child nutrition employees and transportation workers.