Kansas Department of Labor rules Shawnee Mission 3-year unilateral contract was impermissible

The Kansas Department of Labor sided with the Shawnee Mission teachers union on Friday, ruling that the school board committed a “prohibited practice” when it imposed a three-year unilateral contract.

The teachers union challenged the legality of the contract, which was approved by the school board on Jan. 30 after negotiations failed. The National Education Association-Shawnee Mission filed an emergency prohibited practice complaint with the labor department claiming the district did not have the authority to issue such a long-term unilateral contract.

The labor department agreed, stating that by imposing a three-year contract, the district denied the union its right to negotiate terms for the coming school years.