SIDE:Negotiating with a bully mindset

All of us can remember the bully in grade school, or possibly in high school, and how that bully would pick on, and make life miserable for, the target of his actions. We also remember how chagrined we were to have witnessed what he did. It was an act of intimidation.

An incident occurred on Feb. 23 in the city of Glendale that had all the trappings of the schoolyard bully. Greg Krikorian, a local City Council candidate and Glendale Unified School District trustee, was confronted by the Glendale Teachers Assn. at a campaign fundraising event at Brandview Collection. Krikorian has, as a member of the Glendale Unified School District board, been in negotiations with the teachers' union concerning raising teachers' salary scales. Thus far, there is disagreement as to the amount of the increase, not whether there will be an increase. There eventually will be a settlement, as there always has been, and then everyone will go back to business as usual.

But the teachers' union has chosen to take its differences to the public, even though negotiations are still ongoing. Some weeks ago the union protested by marching on Brand Boulevard wearing green shirts. Their protest was not directed at any particular school board member but was an attempt to gain recognition.

The incident at the Krikorian event goes over the line and should be a source of embarrassment to the leadership of the Glendale Teachers Assn. and to the teachers who were involved in this particular protest.

At the request of union President Allen Freemon via a press advisory, a group of teachers carrying posters gathered at the entrance of the Brandview Collection in downtown Glendale to picket and take issue with Krikorian for his stand concerning the salary dispute, (again, this is a school board position of which Krikorian is one member) harassing those entering the fundraiser.

By any definition, this is an example of schoolyard bullying at the adult level and exhibits to what lengths intimidation will take you. This certainly is not "negotiating in good faith," as prescribed by the Rhoda Act, an act that passed in both houses of the California legislature circa 1979, giving teacher associations the right to organize as unions and to bargain in good faith.

This incident at Krikorian's fundraiser was not the teachers' union's finest hour.

At the same protest, City Council candidates Vrej Agajanian and Herbert Molano were in attendance with the protesting teachers.