Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/498229
See what's happening statewide at www.cta.org/bargainingupdates BARGAINING UPDATE Community outlines how to stand up for Fresno students Participating in the district's Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) meetings was OK, but Fresno Teach- ers Association leaders wanted more stakeholder engagement, so they held a series of three "Stand with Stu- dents" community meetings. Some 465 parents, educators, students and community members talked about improving public education, answering questions about academic achieve- ment, social and emotional supports necessary for students to succeed, and school safety concerns. Attend- ees were asked to join a task force to make the recommendations a reality. Some 200 volunteers will meet on April 14 to review recommendations, some of which are mandatory subjects of bargaining, and plan how to make improvements happen. Lucia Mar teachers prepare to strike, file charges against district Lucia Mar Unified Teachers Associ- ation members voted overwhelmingly to authorize LMUTA's executive board to call a strike in the event a contract settlement is not reached. Members and supporters continue rallying to convince the district not to impose its "last, best final" offer of 2 percent, a figure far lower than what the district can pay and what is needed to begin to make Lucia Mar more competitive with neighboring school districts. Meanwhile, LMUTA filed unfair labor practice (ULP) charges with the Public Employment Relations Board against the school district over numerous items, in- cluding threats to illegally stop payment for health benefits, refusal to bargain changes to terms of employment, unilaterally changing leave authorization policies, interfering in protected activities (legal union actions), threatening and coercing members in attempts to stop them from participating in protected activities, and violating mediation confi- dentiality by publicly disclosing proposals discussed during mediation. "These illegal actions by the district are only making it more difficult to achieve a settlement, and violations like this are a terrible example for students and our community," says LMUTA president Donna Kandel. At press time: An eleventh hour tentative agreement between the Lucia Mar Unified Teachers Asso- ciation and the Lucia Mar Unified School District prevented a strike. Adding to bad faith bargaining, Santa Rosa educators seek 'malfea- sance' investigation Hundreds of Santa Rosa Teachers Association members jammed school board meetings to demand the district stop allocating scarce classroom funds to outside consul- tants and use Proposition 30 funds for class size reduction and retaining experienced teachers. Santa Rosa educators receive no district contribution to medical bene- fits and are among the lowest in total compensation in Sonoma County. Many highly qualified and experienced teachers are fleeing to nearby dis- tricts. Now at impasse, SRTA is asking for a 5 percent pay hike that includes the district paying a portion of teach- ers' medical benefits for the first time in nearly a decade. At the request of SRTA President Amy Stern, the district is launching an in- dependent investigation regarding Santa Rosa City Schools Superintendent Socor- ro Shiels withholding from the school board a November letter sent to the trustees outlining how the district can save $2 million annually on student bus transportation costs. SRTA is filing unfair labor practice charges for withholding information and stalling bargaining. Fight for 5! San Diego Education Association members have five bargaining goals: Protecting planning time; attractive pay and benefits; lower class sizes; more counselors, nurses and special education support; and more ele- mentary student enrichment classes. While some tentative agreements (TAs) have been achieved, SDEA members continue their Fight for Five campaign with after-school rallies. Bargaining Advocacy 30 www.cta.org