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Charlotte Amalie
Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeNewsArchives3 STEPS TO SUCCESS IN TALKS WITH AFT

3 STEPS TO SUCCESS IN TALKS WITH AFT

As the St. Croix Chapter of the American Federation of Teacher evaluates whether to join their St. Thomas counterpart in a strike, I wanted to share my thoughts on the plan proposed by Governor Turnbull.
The government's proposal to the local AFT provides Virgin Islanders with the first real opportunity to move the islands forward and beyond the economic doldrums the islands have been facing for quite sometime. Whether you are on the administration's side, or on the AFT side, or none at all, this moment is one that calls for an unemotional evaluation of the proposal.
But before we do that, we must ask ourselves whether we will we continue acting like in the past or will we device new courageous ways and make the sacrifices necessary that will put us back on the road to progress. We must realize that progress without sacrifice in this scenario is not going to happen. There are no magical, painless solutions.
It is time for we as a people to face the mistakes of the past by admitting our share of the responsibility. It is true and we can say that government's mismanagement is partly responsible for our economic situation, but it is also true that "we the people" elected those responsible for the situation. Not only that, we failed to correct our mistakes throughout the years by electing ineffective leaders.
Now, here comes a man, Gov. Turnbull, elected by the whims of fate, or should I say the people's rejection of Gov. Schneider's style, who in his political naivete proposes something that is considered political suicide by any self-preserving politician; he offers a deal to the AFT that would require them to forgive the government's outstanding debt in exchange for much-deserved pay raises.
This proposed deal would help erase almost half of our current debt with the teachers now, while establishing a mechanism that would in time help eliminate the entire debt, a brilliant idea if you want to solve the problem, but a lousy one for those who are owed retroactive wages. Governor Turnbull has made bad political decision, which without a doubt could undermine his re-election possibility; nevertheless he must be applauded for his boldness, courageousness and vision. Action is the only road to a solution, while posturing, criticizing, attacking and striking only postpones our day of reckoning. And for this reason we must analyze and take the side of reason and compromise over emotion.
However, I could not support Gov. Turnbull's proposal without adding three crucial elements necessary to the potential success of his plan: 1) public recognition of the union's sacrifice, 2) government reform that would prevent such a situation from happening again and 3) the possibility of future compensation for today's sacrifice.
First, a proper gesture would be to publicly recognize AFT's sacrifice by erecting a monument for perpetuity with the names of every single member who gave up their duly entitled back pay to improve the financial soundness of the territory. This monument would serve as a reminder to future generations that members of the AFT, when push came to shove, placed country, honor and sacrifice above financial gain. This monument could be a marble wall, just like the one erected to commemorate Vietnam War veterans in Washington, with the names of all AFT members. Also a torch could be lighted for posterity and as an example to future generations that in the year 2000, AFT members carried out a heroic deed on behalf of our children and their future.
Secondly, and a more substantial part of the bargain must be a serious reform package that would restructure government operations in such way that proper fiscal administrative procedures are enacted to prevent such a situation from happening again in the future. This reform package must include safeguards and provide for the necessary checks and balances. This package must also include across-the-board salary cuts for top government officials and staffs, because everyone must share the burden equally.
Transparent bidding policies in theory and practice.
Elimination of the so-called unclassified government employee designation and the establishment of a merit system based on performance, productivity, education, experience, punctuality, attendance and attitude.
Elimination of all government vehicle purchase or leasing with the only exclusion of emergency or vital personnel(fire, police, medical), because government officials who are assigned vehicles can afford to purchase their own. And the list could go on and on.
And the third element necessary for the agreement must be the inclusion of a clause that stipulates that future negotiations will always consider AFT's sacrifice by granting special concessions, as long as these are reasonable, and as long as government has the means to uphold its side of the bargain.
If in the future we manage to turn around our economic situations, the AFT must be first in line to reap the benefits that their sacrifice will generate. Finally, the AFT and the administration can set the example and lead the way in this our darkest moment of self-government history. We cannot afford to have anyone look at the situation and think that we are not capable of handling our own affairs. Not doing anything will only make matters worse, and who knows, self-government could become the next victim of our failure to solve our economic situation.
Robert Acosta, a Crucian and a former Government House spokesman for Gov. Roy Schneider, works in Washington, D.C., as an automotive and aftermarket industries lobbyist. He is pursuing postgraduate studies in public policy at Georgetown University.

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