The city’s teachers union has accused the city’s school district of anti-union activity and illegal retaliation for trying to move the union’s vice president — and, potentially, the union’s president — back into the classroom. The teachers union has alleged that the district’s prop osal came “partly in response to the Union’s actions and advocacy during [contract] negotiations.” The New Haven Federation of Teachers (NHFT) included those accusations against New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) leaders in a complaint filed with the State Board of Labor Relations on June 8. The complaint centers on an agreement that NHPS and NHFT have had since 2012. That agreement permits the teachers union to have two full-time positions “released” from teaching responsibilities — meaning that the union’s president and vice president have not had to hold down classroom roles at the same time that they lead the 1,800-member union. The “release” provision stems from a recognition that the union leaders work full-time to support teachers and school communities across the district. Even though they are not at the front of classrooms every school day, the union’s president and vice president both remain on NHPS’ payroll as educators. According to the union’s official complaint, on April 27, Supt. Madeline Negrón proposed a draft Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to teachers union President Leslie Blatteau. That MOU would eliminate the vice president’s full “release” position — meaning that union Vice President Jenny Graves would have to return to classroom work full-time starting in August. “Upon information and belief, the Employer’s proposal and intention to terminate the existing practice, in the absence of negotiations, is retaliatory for the Union’s concerted activity,” according to the complaint. “Moreover, these actions are designed to coerce and interfere with the Union’s rights to engage in protected activity and are therefore, illegal under the Act. The actions of the employer are motivated by anti-union animus and are therefore illegal under the Act.” The current teachers union contract states that NHFT is “permitted to select one officer to teach a reduced teaching load. Such officer shall teach the equivalent of no more than ten (10) teaching periods per week which shall be scheduled during the morning.” Neither party proposed changes to that part of the contract during negotiations. Blatteau said that, when Negrón began her tenure as superintendent in 2023, the district entered into an MOU with the NHFT to protect the union’s two release officer positions through a one-year agreement. The district and union have maintained that practice in subsequent years. NHFT’s executive board, meanwhile, has already begun pushing back against the proposal by refusing to sign the proposed MOU, stating that the elimination of the vice president’s release could negatively “impact the working conditions of NHFT members.” Blatteau also said that, when she discussed the MOU with Board of Education President OrLando Yarbrough, he indicated to her that the school board’s decision to terminate the practice of having two full release officers was partly in response to the union’s advocacy during its recent contract negotiations. This concern — that NHPS might be seeking to put the union’s vice president back in the classroom in retaliation for how the union handled contract negotiations — has led to the NHFT filing a complaint alleging that NHPS is not following the School Board-Teacher Negotiation Act (TNA) (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10-153a et seq.) Both Yarborough and NHPS spokesperson Justin Harmon declined to comment for this story because the complaint hearing process is underway. Harmon stated, “As with litigation, we don’t want to offer comments that could be seen as prejudicial to that process. For that reason, we don’t have anything to say at this time.” “It raises serious concerns,” Blatteau said in a Thursday interview with the Independent. “When I go to national conferences I hear from people in other states where collective bargaining is not guaranteed. But here we are in Connecticut where collective bargaining is protected and is central to our identity as unions.” She continued, “If there were concerns about morale during negotiations, my response is [that] morale for the NHFT members and in turn for the communities that we serve was high during that time because we had a belief that we could improve working conditions and learning conditions and teacher retention in New Haven Public Schools.” State Department of Labor spokesperson Juliet Manalan confirmed for the Independent that the teachers union’s complaint was filed on June 8. She said that a June 24 status conference on the matter had to be rescheduled due to scheduling conflicts. Also, Blatteau said the union was informed by the district’s Human Resources department that if the union does not sign the MOU before July 1, NHPS would shift the full release position of the NHFT president to a half-time released position. This would be in addition to eliminating the vice president’s release position. If this occurs, Blatteau would have to do a half-day of classroom teaching beginning in August. Reached for comment Thursday, Graves told the Independent, “I want to be very clear that this isn’t about Jenny Graves as an individual, this is about the health and strength of NHFT and the 1800 members who make up our union. While I find this proposed change in past practice incredibly disheartening considering the collaborative work that we’ve engaged in with NHPS central office, the BOE, and City Hall, this will not lessen NHFT’s activism or the power of our union.” The union’s complaint requests that NHPS stop retaliation and anti-union discrimination, maintain its past practice, and reimburse the union for its attorney costs related to the complaint. Click here to read the union’s full response to the MOU proposal, as sent on May 19. The union’s executive board met on June 16 and unanimously voted not to agree to sign the MOU. The union’s letter was addressed to Negrón, Yarbrough, and the Board of Education, explaining that the MOU “would potentially harm the longstanding collaboration between NHPS and NHFT as we work to improve educator retention and wellbeing, as well as address serious concerns related to working conditions and learning conditions in our district.” The letter also lists the dozens of responsibilities of the two release officer roles — which include answering medical benefits and certification questions, supporting new employee onboarding, and conducting school site visits for the union’s 1,800 educators who are spread across 40 different job sites. “Ultimately, a change to the current practice will interrupt and inhibit the consistent support provided to NHPS employees, as well as have an impact on the many central office departments and school level partners with whom NHFT collaborates,” the letter states. It concludes with a request to resolve the issue by maintaining the current practice and consider an amendment in the contract to formally include two released officers. During upcoming informal discussions and the complaint hearing process, Blatteau said the union will defend its rights and raise the issue of illegal retaliation — while also shedding light on the two full time release officers positions as ones that do work for the entire school system on a daily basis. In recent months, the superintendent and school board members have applauded NHFT for its advocacy efforts supporting legislation for fully-funded public school districts. When Blatteau was told the MOU is a financial decision and for “cost saving measures.” she said it was disheartening to hear. She noted that a coalition of community members led by NHFT “put a lot of non-contractual time into — a lot of afternoons, evenings, weekends” to secure school funding for the 2026-27 school year. “Let’s be real here, a year ago it was NHFT members and coalition members who got arrested in Ned Lamont’s office,” she said. “It was several years before that that we were marching through the streets of New Haven for fully funded schools back in 2022. So this has been our core work on our own time for years. And then to hear that this is a financial decision, it’s disheartening.” Nevertheless Blatteau said, “These actions by the board will not deter us.” “Outraged Disheartened By These Acts Of Retaliation” During Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting at High School in the Community, special education teacher and union building steward Elizabeth Baldetti brought her concerns with the district’s MOU proposal directly to the board members. She asked that the two release officer positions be maintained. Baldetti raised particular concerns with the explanation allegedly provided by Yarbrough that the district wanted to end the practice in response to union advocacy. “Is it a response or is retaliation against the teachers of NHFT’s voices being heard?” she asked. If the vice president release position is terminated and the president is put back to work in the classroom part-time, Baldetti said, “you are making a statement. The teachers’ voices do not matter.” She recalled getting support from the union three years ago to navigate getting her credentials to be a special education teacher. Had it not been for the union’s support, she said, she would not be teaching in one of the district’s highest-needs areas. She continued by asking why the district wants to take away educators’ safeguards and voices. “This feels especially retaliatory because our voices and needs were actually present during contract negotiations.” She concluded that personnel make up the majority of NHPS’ budget and one part-time employee will struggle to represent 1,800 teachers, which will limit educators’ representation — “effectively ruining your return on investment simply because you didn’t like the union being a union.” Blatteau also spoke up during Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting and thanked NHFT and the community for its work to get NHPS fully funded for 2026-27. She said NHFT has modeled collaboration and provided direct results thanks to its advocacy. Going forward, she said, “trust must be maintained.”  Also, see below for a letter sent to the Board of Education by NHFT member and ESUMS special education teacher Laura Cunningham on this matter: Hello, I am a teacher in New Haven Public Schools. The New Haven Federation of Teachers has filed an anti-union labor charge with the State Board of Labor Relations, citing anti-union activity and illegal retaliation for protected activities under Connecticut’s Teacher Negotiation Act. NHPS and the Board of Ed intend to eliminate Vice President Jennifer Graves’s “released” position and are threatening to make President Leslie Blatteau’s position part-time if we do not comply with their demands.  As a rank-and-file member, this completely erodes my trust that the district and the BOE has its teachers’ best interests at heart. Having strong union leadership is essential to our well-being as teachers, and if NHPS does not respect our leadership, they do not respect our union—and therefore do not respect teachers. I am outraged and disheartened by these acts of retaliation against the effectiveness of our organizing and the solidarity within our union. Regardless of the outcome, NHPS’s choices in this matter will not be forgotten, and I fear it will damage teacher morale within the district. On the other side, this will galvanize us as workers, strengthening our resolve, fight, and sense of community as union members.   Just two months ago, I was with NHFT in Lamont’s office asking the Governor for increased funding for NHPS, a conversation that resulted in millions of dollars being redirected toward our schools and students, mitigating the district’s budget deficit. It is incredibly insulting for such efforts to shortly thereafter be met with an attempt to weaken our union’s efficacy.  The post Union Alleges Retaliation Over Proposal To End VP’s “Release” From Teaching appeared first on New Haven Independent. ...read more read less