[Editor’s Note: An update from the President of the Teachers Union to members and to the community regarding ongoing contract negotiations.]
First, thanks for all the feedback about the scheduling of the furlough days.
Our next step will be to meet with the District administration and with the Classified Union to finalize the placement of those days.
Our primary consideration, of course, is to place them where they will maximize savings while minimizing damage to teaching and learning. We have, technically, not yet signed off on these furlough days.
Other bargaining issues are still unresolved.
But we want to get next year's schedule in place so that we can notify the County and STRS well in advance of our June 30 deadline so that we all receive a full year's retirement service credit next year.
Second, we want you to know that we filed, last week an “Unfair Labor Practice ” charge with PERB, the Public Employment Relations Board.
We charged the School District with violations of state laws governing the collective bargaining process.
I've been the President of our union for too many years to count. I think this is the first time we've had to file an “unfair” with PERB over bargaining violations.
What prompted this action is that School Board president Steve Gourley was communicating directly with bargaining unit members, both certificated and classified, and in those communications outlined a “proposal” for salary reductions.
As you know, CCUSD has not made any proposal to us about salary cuts.
School Board members, of course, can and should communicate with employees.
But they cannot outline their own personal proposals, separate from the School District's actual proposal to the union. Further, they are prohibited from “direct dealing,” taking proposals directly to employees and bypassing their union in the process.
We're not interested in antagonizing our Board, but we felt that such clear violations could not go unchallenged.
Finally, the May meeting of our union's executive board will be held on Tuesday, at 3:30 in my room, No. 129, at Culver City High School. All teachers are welcome. Just drive in the Huron Street gate, bear right, and I'm in the last bungalow near the tennis courts.
Dave Mielke, Culver City Federation of Teachers/AFT
Mr. Mielke may be contacted at davidmielke@ccusd.org
