[Editor’s Note: Here is the latest communiqué from the President of the Teachers Union to members.]
Brothers and sisters,
Your Culver City Federation of Teachers bargaining team (Casey Chabola, Amy Maldonado, Claudette Dubois, Natalie Gualtieri, Field Rep Kevin Cronin and I) met with the management team on Friday.
We continued to press CCUSD to offer a retirement incentive (50 percent of one year's salary), but CCUSD has not yet agreed to this proposal. When they did their analysis of the costs and benefits of a retirement incentive, they ran the numbers based on 25 teachers participating. Only 17 teachers indicated to us that they were considering retirement this year. So we have asked CCUSD to see if savings can be realized if a smaller group participates.
We also added detail to our proposal regarding elementary conference days. Rather than fighting about these days each year, we simply proposed that CCUSD set aside 12 days each year for elementary conferences. We also continued work on trying to find creative ways to provide additional prep time for elementary teachers.
Talks continued regarding this year's furlough day pay deductions. In the course of “rounding up” and/or “rounding down” to the nearest dollar amount, some of us were slightly “overpaid” in terms of the furlough pay deductions, while others were “underpaid.” It would have been simpler had CCUSD not rounded these amounts up or down, but we proposed again on Friday that those of us who were “harmed” by the rounding process be made whole by the end of the year. (It's bad enough be furloughed — losing out in the “rounding” process adds insult to injury.)
The big news, of course, was that CCUSD proposed that you take 9 unpaid furlough days next year.
We had three responses.
First, we have been clear for months that we would not make concessions unless there were administrative cuts, either in positions or in the number of days administrators are on duty. We were not bluffing. We've said all along that “we'll do our part,” and we will. But with 19.2 teacher cuts and zero administrative cuts, we're not seeing a sharing of the pain. Those 19.2 teacher cuts save CCUSD $1.2 million; zero administrative cuts save zero dollars. Does this seem fair to you?
Second, we are not convinced that CCUSD needs this many furlough days — or indeed any days at all right now. Their “Second Interim Report” to the County showed a positive ending balance for this year, next year and the following year. It is only in the year after that, 2013-2014, that we are in the red. Doesn't it make sense to streamline management between now and then instead of shortening the school year?
Third, CCUSD's proposal for 9 furlough days is a violation of collective bargaining law in that it is a “regressive” proposal. When we first went to the table in January, they proposed pay cuts for you that would save CCUSD $800,000. Today they proposed 9 furlough days that would save CCUSD $1.7 million.
If this were “Collective Bargaining 101,” CCUSD would be getting an “F.”
Management can modify its original offer to you, BUT THEY CAN'T MAKE IT WORSE! Hence the term, “regressive” bargaining. Friday's proposal was more than twice as “bad” as their original proposal in January.
This is the second time in two years that CCUSD has violated California's collective bargaining laws. We had to file a complaint with PERB (Public Employment Relations Board) last year charging a Board member with “direct dealing,” and now this year we've got “regressive bargaining.” (The old Dave Mielke would probably write some smartypants comment here, but the new me is showing restraint. You'll need to come up with your own Keystone Kops or Three Stooges reference.)
Finally, the latest news from Sacramento suggests that the governor may not be able to call that special election this spring. If that's the case, then all bets are off. We're even hearing talk that the mandated school year could be reduced to 165 or even 160 days.
In the meantime, we will continue to encourage CCUSD to find ways to streamline its administration. After all, if students aren't here in July and August, and teachers aren't here in July and August, just how many administrators do we really need to pay during those summer months?
have a good break. dave
Mr. Mielke may be contacted at davidmielke@ccusd.org
