non-confidential items that generally impact the entire Association. Such items typically include raising union dues, approving leaflets or flyers to be distributed to unit members, recommending changes in insurance, recommending approval or disapproval of contract agreements, and other items that require a vote of the entire membership of the Association. This two-body governing system is similar to the bicameral legislature used by the United States Congress. Representation problems From August 1969 to March 2012 the Newark Teachers Association was one of the only teacher associations in the nation where individual department chairpersons were not represented by the Association. The Association had tried to organize several times to incorporate department chairpersons into the Association, but all measures had failed since the incorporation of NTA into CTA. This issue arose early in NTA's history. NTA was originally affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) but decided to ultimately join CTA. As a result, department chairpersons elected to remain with AFT and leave the Association via a grandfather clause for the main point that they were exempt from paying NTA/CTA/NEA dues. Since then, AFT ultimately removed itself from all Newark teachers and the department chairs have gone unrepresented since, until an accord was reached in February 2012. NTA also attributes part of this problem to the fact that the American Federation of Teachers is AFL–CIO-affiliated, unlike the independent National Education Association. In February 2012, the Association and District reached an agreement to allow department chairs to join the Association through "phase-in" clause. The agreement allows department chairs, athletic, and activity directors to join NTA or stay as management employees, but ensures all future hiring decisions for these positions will be automatically incorporated into NTA. The agreement is effective March 1, 2012. Recent negotiations history 2005 contract negotiations The issue of teachers' salaries was reopened by the Association in 2005, while the District decided to reopen class size. Teachers had initially asked for a 4.23 percent raise, equal to the state-allocated cost-of-living wage adjustment. Negotiations reached an impasse in late August 2005, as the school district was not prepared to give teachers the raise they were asking for without the Association agreeing to raise class sizes. The previous agreement from 2004 had stated that total student contacts would not exceed 150 per day, which the District wanted to increase. The Association, which refused to agree to this at the time, had begun organizing