For Immediate Release
Monday, Aug. 17, 2009
Contact: Michael D. Van Beek
Director of Education Policy
989-631-0900

MIDLAND - More than 400 collective bargaining agreements from school districts across Michigan have been made available to the public today, announced Michael Van Beek, director of education policy at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. The online database contains PDF files of current and expired collective bargaining agreements covering unionized employees such as teachers, bus drivers, custodians, mechanics, librarians, secretaries and a variety of other positions at all 551 school districts in Michigan. The database, along with reports on school district revenue, expenditures and checkbook registers, can be found at www.michiganschooldatabases.org.

"The database provides a wealth of information concerning the inner workings of local school districts," Van Beek said. "Salary schedules, health insurance policies, rules for employee discipline, and hiring and firing restrictions are just a few examples of the information available.

"Union contract negotiations are often grueling and unpleasant," he added. "This database allows users to compare union contracts in different districts, and it may serve as a helpful tool at the bargaining table."

More information about collective bargaining in Michigan school districts can be found in the Center's book "A Collective Bargaining Primer for Michigan School Board Members."

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