CAUSE ADVISORY

Collective Bargaining Update

Feb. 1, 2023

============================================

Good afternoon, District Employees,

At the outset of today’s bargaining session, the District was required to provide counter-proposals for all three open contract articles.   CAUSE reviewed these and sought clarification as required.  In short, the District’s proposals failed to address many of the interests contained in the Union’s previous proposals, but they did include a few changes; of significance, an effort to “cap” employee healthcare.

Based on the feedback we recently received from our recent CAUSE SURVEY on this topic, Union leadership adjusted its proposals (slightly) and provided these to the District in response.   We have attached the Union’s three counter-proposals to this ADVISORY.

In the next few days, we will again survey our members to determine your support for an agreement and/or willingness to advocate for the interests contained in the Union’s proposals.

In Unity,

~ CAUSE Leadership

============================================

* C.A.U.S.E. – Yes We Can ! *

Dear District Colleagues,

Today, just as scheduled, the Union met with the District’s bargaining team (composed of only the CUSD Human Resource Director and a District lawyer).  The Union submitted its most recent counter-proposals, which addressed the following contract articles:

* Article 13: LEAVE 

* Article 15: SAFETY

* Article 6: COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

More specifically, these counter-proposals have been amended to address the following changes…

* Article 13: LEAVE *

( CAUSE LEAVE Proposal (Counter Proposal) Jan 11.2023 )

   The Union included proposals that reflected several insights gathered from this week’s weather event / “natural disaster” and unnecessary hardships experienced by many District employees and families.  Teacher and support staff responses to the Union’s recent “Roll-Call” & SURVEY (Here’s a link if you missed it – https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SafetyRollCall ) did much to inform Union Leadership on employees’ experiences and the District’s response directly impacted our members, students, and their families.

Our amended LEAVE proposal reflects an effort to educate District Leadership on the impact of the CUSD’s administrative response, or lack thereof.  However, always striving to be a constructive partner, the Union’s bargaining team provided remedies and clarified expectations that would minimize future dysfunction and promote the increased safety of District personnel, students, and their families in the future.

* Article 15: SAFETY *

( Counter-Proposal too  large to upload.

Please check email ADVISORY for PDF.  )

     District Surveillance: The Union also reiterated the importance of developing contract language around the District’s extensive and thoroughly opaque increase of audio & visual surveillance systems across the District.   Our proposals focused on the need (both legal and professional) for increased accountability measures regarding the use and sharing of surveillance data by District Leadership.  CAUSE is determined to support the District as it performs its SAFETY reporting obligations.  Therefore, we have provided proposals that would establish timelines and expectations that actually increase employee and student SAFETY.

On a more granular level, our proposal encourages the District to maintain, inventory, and communicate SAFETY resources (per site & facility) in a more effective and legal manner.  The Union proposed that the CUSD contractualize a variety of surveillance practices, including but not limited to:

(A) clarifying the number & location of surveillance systems across the District

(B) clarifying the hours CUSD’s surveillance systems are utilized

(C) clarifying the types of media used for the CUSD’s surveillance systems

(D) clarifying the specific purpose of CUSD’s surveillance systems

(E) resolving issues of employee & public access to the District’s surveillance systems and administrative recordings

(F) clarifying and developing policies regarding the monitoring (by District administrators, supervisors, and directors) of the CUSD’s surveillance systems

(G) confirming issues associated with data retention and sharing, related to the District’s surveillance systems

(H) providing employees and students clear “Opt-out” & “Opt-in” permissions, associated with these surveillance systems

SAFETY Related Resources:  Industry experts have confirmed that standard SAFETY practices are most effective when employees responding to personal, medical, environmental, and/or other SAFETY related events are well aware of the resources available for these routine and/or predictable events.

Therefore, CAUSE also proposed that the District inventory, update, maintain, and communicate the status and location of SAFETY resources  available when employees are required to respond to SAFETY related events.  CAUSE agrees with industry experts who encourage school district’s to assume this level of preparedness on an individual site & facility basis.

* Article 6: COMPENSATION & BENEFITS *

( Counter-Proposal too  large to upload.

Please check email ADVISORY for PDF.  )

The Union reiterated the primary details of our compensation and benefits proposal.  Today, CAUSE proposed changes to a variety of previous proposals, so as to get the bargaining partners (CAUSE & CUSD) to a productive agreement.

Specifically, we proposed the following:

1. Amendments to the “Responsibility Level” (aka. RL) value schedule, which is both out-dated and professionally unrealistic.

2. Amendments to the proposed BCLAD/Bi-Lingual stipend; by reducing our proposed value from $5,000 to $4,000,annually.

3. Amendments and clarifications associated with our MULTI-YEAR salary agreement proposal, which would remove retroactive increases for the 2023-24 school year, but maintain those retroactive increases for the current year.

4. Reiterated the Union’s desire for a MULTI-YEAR calendar agreement, so as  to provide the community, District administrators, and District employees an opportunity to plan more effectively and efficiently into the future.

______________________________________________

Beyond CAUSE’s submission of the three Union counter-proposals cited above, the District did not review or submit either a proposal or counter-proposal at any time during today’s collective bargaining session.  That said, the Union will continue to accept future District bargaining proposals when presented in official meetings legally established for that purpose.

Due to schedule conflicts and the limited availability of the CUSD and CAUSE bargaining teams, the next collective bargaining session and opportunity to submit proposals /counter proposals is scheduled for February 1, 2023.  Union Leadership looks forward to discussing the process, CAUSE’s proposals, and member interests between now and then.  We will release a schedule of upcoming Site-Meetings soon.

Your attention and participation are both needed and appreciated.

In Unity,

~ CAUSE * CERTIFICATED Bargaining Team [2022-23]

============================================

* C.A.U.S.E. – Yes We Can ! *

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______________

CAUSE ADVISORY

Bargaining Update

– Article 6:  Compensation & Benefits –

– Article 13: Leave Provisions –

Oct. 14, 2022

============================================

 Dear CUSD Colleagues & Families,

Today’s Bargaining Session (Article 6 – Compensation & Benefits):

The Union met with the District today, to continue the 2022-23 bargaining cycle.  At today’s meeting, the Union sought clarifications upon the District’s proposal, dated Oct. 5, 2022.  Similarly, the Union  sought clarification upon the District’s seemingly impulsive rejection of the majority of the Union’s recent Counter-Proposal on Article 6: Compensation & Benefits.  [ The District had failed to provide a rationale for the majority of its seemingly impulsive rejections on October 5, 2022.  The Union wanted to better understand the CUSD’s rationales and motivations, in hopes that we might find a way to assuage the District’s concerns and find a way to get to an agreement. ]

Union leadership also requested updated fiscal data/information from the District.  The Union remains committed to basing our financial decisions upon real numbers, versus predictions and propaganda.   We want to be reasonable.  Therefore, we continue to seek the most current District budget and “Multi-Year-Projections (MYP),” which are informed by the most recently published “Unaudited Actuals” (i.e. The actual money in the District’s budget, versus the District’s previous predictions that once again under-estimated revenues and over-estimated expenditures.)

Although this request was made early in the meeting, the District chose not to fulfill the Union’s request for the updated fiscal data in the CUSD’s possession; even refusing to provide any timeline for when CUSD’s agents would meet their obligation to do so.  Therefore, CAUSE could not adequately examine the full impact of either the District’s or the Union’s financial proposals at today’s meeting.  We hope the District responds to its obligation to provide this data before our next bargaining session, versus playing “hide the ball” with the data they are required to share.

Today’s Bargaining Session (Article 13 – LEAVE PROVISIONS):

To ensure that the scheduled time was still used productively, the Union finalized and submitted its first proposal on Article 13 : LEAVE PROVISIONS.  For your convenience, we  have attached that proposal to this ADVISORY.

CAUSE LEAVE Proposal (1st) 2022

Upcoming Union-Site Meetings (week of Oct. 17th – 21st) :

Throughout the course of next week, CAUSE leadership will continue to hold Union-Site Meetings across the District.  We remain committed to providing District employees insight into our bargaining effort, as well as sharing opportunities available to District employees who wish to support that effort.  We have attached a meeting schedule below, and ask that ALL District faculty and support staff mark your calendars appropriately.

Union School-Site_Facility Meeting.Oct.17-21

We look forward to discussing this further, when we meet in person.

In Patience & Participation,

~ The CAUSE bargaining Team

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* C.A.U.S.E. – Yes We Can ! *

.

CAUSE SURVEY

CUSD Employees: Faculty and Support Staff

What are your contract priorities?

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CUSD Colleagues; Faculty & Support Staff,

As Union Leadership prepares for our upcoming GENERAL MEETING, to be he via ZOOM on Monday Oct. 10th @ 7PM   (zoom link:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89832015013?pwd=ZURUQnVEcnRWUkdKbS9zT0ZiNEFtQT09 ), we are asking District faculty and support staff to clarify their priorities associated with contract bargaining.

Employees may do so by completing this brief survey, linked just below:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Bargaining-COMPxBENEFITS

Your continued attention and participation are appreciated.  We look forward to speaking with you soon.

~ CAUSE Leadership

============================================

* C.A.U.S.E. – Yes We Can ! *

CAUSE: Bargaining Update

____________________________________________

The following post and meetings are related to the Union’s most recent bargaining proposal, submitted on Oct. 5, 2022.  You may review the proposal by following this link…

CAUSE Counter-Proposal . Oct 5th Art. 6 (Union’s 1st Proposal) District Response.f.

________________________________________

* GENERAL MEETINGS *

Friday – Oct. 7, 2022 @ 7PM (via ZOOM)

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84935946052?pwd=NmxWejdnalY0QVBLNUwwbFlaN2RQZz09

&

Monday – Oct. 10, 2022 @ 7PM (via ZOOM)

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89832015013?pwd=ZURUQnVEcnRWUkdKbS9zT0ZiNEFtQT09

____________________________________

CUSD Employees, Families, and Community Stakeholders,

Yesterday, Union Leadership met again with CUSD’s bargaining agents.  The Union provided a comprehensive proposal, tied to ARTICLE 6: Compensation & Benefits. The Union’s proposal (see attached) is focused on the following priorities:

1.) Reversing (a) the damage of CUSD’s historic inability to adequately staff District schools & programs, and (b) the damage from the resultant and extreme employee transiency across the CUSD.

2.) Improving the ability for District employees to share their professional experience; so as to better inform decisions regarding student learning and the teaching & learning environment.

3.) Notifying District Leadership of areas and opportunities for significant financial savings associated with the District’s excessive legal and healthcare costs.

Without engaging in any comprehensive discussion ( while adding regressive criteria to their previous proposal) the CUSD’s bargaining agents (i.e. the HR Director and 1 District lawyer) rejected 95% of the Union’s proposed improvements.  Therefore, it is critical that District employees:

(A) Thoroughly review the attached CAUSE proposal & the District’s response to the proposed improvements therein.

(B) Attend at least one, if not both of the Union’s upcoming GENERAL MEETINGS, scheduled for Friday – Oct. 7, 2022 @ 7PM &  Monday – Oct. 10, 2022 @ 7PM.

(C) Determine what you are going to do, to clarify your support and interests to the CUSD School Board and community.

Union leadership is currently organizing to clarify our members’ interests at the next CUSD School Board meeting, scheduled for Oct. 11, 2022 @ 5:30PM (Carpinteria City Hall).  We will discuss this effort and opportunities to participate at the GENERAL MEETINGS cited above.

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* C.A.U.S.E. – Yes We Can ! *

—

CAUSE ADVISORY

* CUSD’s Employee Union *

PARTICIPATION – Engaging the Community & CUSD School Board

[ For Teachers, Support Staff, & District Families ]

============================================

Dear CUSD Teachers, Support Staff, and District Families.

Union leadership appreciates your attendance and participation at last week’s Union Site-Meetings & ZOOM-Meetings.   Many requested specific insight into how they might increase their communication and advocacy on topics of professionalism, workplace environment, workplace conditions, administrative retaliation, and/or student & staff safety.

Therefore, Union leadership is providing these resources:

    1.) Opportunities to Participate (Organizing Activities)

    2.) CUSD School Board Meeting (How to participate?)

    3.) CUSD School Board Trustee / Politician Emails

    4.) School Board Candidate * SUMMERLAND District *  Election – November 8, 2022)

    5.) California Public Records Act [CPRA]: What is it and how does one submit a “Public Request for Information“?

For our convenience, we have expanded on each of the 5 topics (below).

Union leadership appreciates this opportunity to work directly with the community of Carpinteria and surrounding areas.  Please let us know how we might further support your interests, concerns, and suggestions.

_________________________

1.) Opportunities to Participate (Organizing Activities): 

CAUSE Opportunities for Participation 2022

Just above, we have provided a list (PDF) of “CAUSE Opportunities for Participation 2022” that every District employee and community member may begin engaging in immediately.

2.) CUSD School Board Meeting (How to participate?):

WHEN:

*  2^nd & 4^th TUESDAY / of each month

[UPCOMING MEETINGS:  September & October meetings will be held on –  Sept. 27th, Oct. 11th, & Oct. 25th, 2022]

* Closed (Confidential) Session begins at 4:30PM

* Open (Public) Session begins @ 5:30 PM

HOW:

* Attendees are not required to speak, but they may speak.

* Speakers may speak for 3 minutes on any item on the agenda.

* Speakers may speak to a single, or more than one item on the agenda.

* Speakers may speak to topics not on the agenda, during “Public Speaking Time For Items Not On The Agenda.”

* Speakers must arrive early, to complete a short “Request for Speaker/Public Comment Minutes.”

* After speaking, speakers are NOT required to attend the entire meeting.

* Speakers may address the Board in English, Spanish, or the language of their choice.

* Wi-Fi is available for members of the public.

WHERE:

* Carpinteria City Hall – Council Chamber

5775 Carpinteria Avenue, Carpinteria Ca. 93013

* Parking on west side of building and along street

3.) CUSD School Board Trustee / Politician Emails:

Although the Union is not releasing addresses at this time, we are releasing the emails we have been provided…

* asheaffer@cusd.net   /   andy@vistapuntagorda.com

* sgreen@cusd.net   /   saldg@aol.com

* jaime.diamond@cusd.net   /   jaimesdiamond@gmail.com

* aaron.smith@cusd.net   /   (personal email not provided)

* jfabre@cusd.net   /   (personal email not provided)

4.) School Board Candidate * SUMMERLAND District *  Election – November 8, 2022 :

Name: Nuh Kimbwala

Website: https://nuhcusd.com/

Email address: vipnuhz@gmail.com

5.) California Public Records Act [CPRA]: What is it and how does one submit a “Public Request for Information“?

This opportunity is available to ANY California citizen / community member, who wishes to better understand decisions, actions, or information related to a public institution, such as the CUSD.

* https://www.ftb.ca.gov/your-rights/california-public-records-act.html

* https://firstamendmentcoalition.org/cpra-primer/sample-cpra-request-letter/

* https://www.law.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Sample-PRA-Request.pdf

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* C.A.U.S.E. – Yes We Can ! *

CAUSE ADVISORY

School-Site Union Meetings – Week of Sept. 19th – Sept 23rd, 2022

* Dates, Times, Locations Announced *

[ TOPIC: Collective Bargaining – Compensation & Benefits ]

============================================

Greetings, CUSD Employees and Families.

Attached, you will find a schedule of upcoming Union Site/Department meetings that will be held throughout next week; the week of Sept. 19th ( Mon.) – Sept. 23rd ( Fri.) , 2022.  The topic remains the current 2022-23 collective bargaining cycle.

Please make every effort to attend your school-site’s meeting.  If that is not possible, you may join us at another school-site’s meeting.  Your accurate awareness and participation in the bargaining process is critical to Union Leadership’s ability to secure an agreement that supports the interest of teachers and support staff.  This, in turn, supports our students and District families.

If you have any further questions about the current bargaining process, please review our initial ADVISORY, included below.  Your continued patience and participation are appreciated .  We look forward to seeing each of you next week.

Union School-Site_Facility Meetings 2022 Autumn

Towards progress,

~  j. Hotchner * CAUSE President

============================================

* C.A.U.S.E. – Yes We Can ! *

____________________________

ORIGINAL ADVISORY (BELOW)

____________________________

———- Forwarded message ———
From: * CAUSE . CUSD * <jhotchner@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, Sep 14, 2022 at 1:02 PM
Subject: CAUSE ADVISORY: School-Site Union Meetings – To Be Held In Coming Week [TOPIC: Collective Bargaining * Compensation & Benefits *]

CAUSE ADVISORY

School-Site Union Meetings – To Be Held In Coming Week

TOPIC: Collective Bargaining

* Compensation & Benefits *

============================================

Greetings, CUSD Employees and Families.

In the coming week, Union Leadership is working to hold Site-Meetings across the District to discuss where we are at with the current 2022-23 collective bargaining cycle.  Please make every effort to attend your school site’s meeting.  If that is not possible, you may join us at another school-site’s meeting.

Your accurate awareness and participation in the bargaining process is critical to Union Leadership’s ability to secure an agreement that supports the interest of teachers and support staff.  This, in turn, supports our students and District families.  Upcoming meeting dates and times will be announced shortly.

Background:

As is routine, the bargaining partners are yet to reach an agreement in the early months of the bargaining process.  Due to the COVID pandemic (in the last two years) and the need to prioritize our response to the COVID mitigation efforts, contract bargaining has been severely abbreviated.  As a result, several important contractual improvements have been set aside in the last few years.

The current 2022-23 collective bargaining cycle, is our first opportunity to return to the more traditional and routine approach to collective bargaining; one where the parties have every expectation to propose, discuss, and seek more comprehensive improvements to the variety of contract issues and challenges that have arisen during that period.  Whereas our bargaining partner (CUSD) prefers to discuss only their very narrow interests, Union Leadership is unwilling to forfeit this opportunity pursue the improvements teachers and support staff have been seeking for a third straight year.   

Continued Patience & Participation:

In the last few weeks, Union leadership has been receiving concerning reports from several district employees.  As we’ve been advised, District leadership continues its campaign of misinformation, designed to once again abruptly end the collective bargaining process according to only their terms and interests.   Had the District had its way, the partners would have resolved bargaining in the early Spring/late Summer 2022, with only a 1% salary increase and healthcare cuts and “claw-backs.”  But Union leadership and our members wouldn’t have it, and we continued to bargain through the Summer months and into the current.

Now, we are hearing that District leadership is also characterizing Union leadership’s diligence and fidelity to employee concerns as “obstructionist”, going so far as to suggest that the “Union leadership is not interested in reaching an agreement on salary and benefits”.  Fortunately, most of you already understand that District leadership’s attempts to misinform District employees and the community are simply absurd.

The Union’s patience and thorough approach to the 2022-23 collective bargaining cycle has already paid off.  We have since secured a much more realistic, (albeit still short of what is possible) compensation offer from the CUSD (i.e. 5% with a 2% one-time bonus). That obvious progress, ensuring that District employees will see a several thousand dollar increase to their salaries and wages each year moving forward.  And all the while, the District’s obligation to provide a fully covered high-quality healthcare option remains in force!

Rather than blindly accepting District leadership’s silly explanations for why the process has not been completed in the early months of the 2022-23 collective bargaining cycle, CAUSE leadership asks that you work with us to better understand the details.  We need your accurate understanding, engagement, and participation to support the proposals we carry to the bargaining table.

Your opportunity to directly participate has arrived.  It is time for our members to share their voices and perspectives with each other, District leadership, and the community.   We will discuss this further at our upcoming site-meetings.  In the meantime, we remind District employees; Union leadership can only accomplish what our members are willing to demand.

Full ahead !

~ j. Hotchner * CAUSE President

============================================

* C.A.U.S.E. – Yes We Can ! *

[ TOPIC: Collective Bargaining – Compensation & Benefits ]

============================================

Greetings, CUSD Employees and Families.

Attached, you will find a schedule of upcoming Union Site/Department meetings that will be held throughout next week; the week of Sept. 19th ( Mon.) – Sept. 23rd ( Fri.) , 2022.  The topic remains the current 2022-23 collective bargaining cycle.

Please make every effort to attend your school-site’s meeting.  If that is not possible, you may join us at another school-site’s meeting.  Your accurate awareness and participation in the bargaining process is critical to Union Leadership’s ability to secure an agreement that supports the interest of teachers and support staff.  This, in turn, supports our students and District families.

If you have any further questions about the current bargaining process, please review our initial ADVISORY, included below.  Your continued patience and participation are appreciated .  We look forward to seeing each of you next week.

Towards progress,

~  j. Hotchner * CAUSE President

============================================

* C.A.U.S.E. – Yes We Can ! *

Feel free to visit our CAUSE website:

https://cause2216.org/

Your feedback and interest are appreciated!

* In the event you received this email and are not either 

a District Administrator, Board Member, or  Union Member, 

please contact us immediately. We will remove you from this email group-list. *

____________________________

ORIGINAL ADVISORY (BELOW)

___________________________

CAUSE ADVISORY

School-Site Union Meetings – To Be Held In Coming Week

TOPIC: Collective Bargaining

* Compensation & Benefits *

============================================

Greetings, CUSD Employees and Families.

In the coming week, Union Leadership is working to hold Site-Meetings across the District to discuss where we are at with the current 2022-23 collective bargaining cycle.  Please make every effort to attend your school site’s meeting.  If that is not possible, you may join us at another school-site’s meeting.

Your accurate awareness and participation in the bargaining process is critical to Union Leadership’s ability to secure an agreement that supports the interest of teachers and support staff.  This, in turn, supports our students and District families.  Upcoming meeting dates and times will be announced shortly.

Background:

As is routine, the bargaining partners are yet to reach an agreement in the early months of the bargaining process.  Due to the COVID pandemic (in the last two years) and the need to prioritize our response to the COVID mitigation efforts, contract bargaining has been severely abbreviated.  As a result, several important contractual improvements have been set aside in the last few years.

The current 2022-23 collective bargaining cycle, is our first opportunity to return to the more traditional and routine approach to collective bargaining; one where the parties have every expectation to propose, discuss, and seek more comprehensive improvements to the variety of contract issues and challenges that have arisen during that period.  Whereas our bargaining partner (CUSD) prefers to discuss only their very narrow interests, Union Leadership is unwilling to forfeit this opportunity pursue the improvements teachers and support staff have been seeking for a third straight year.   

Continued Patience & Participation:

In the last few weeks, Union leadership has been receiving concerning reports from several district employees.  As we’ve been advised, District leadership continues its campaign of misinformation, designed to once again abruptly end the collective bargaining process according to only their terms and interests.   Had the District had its way, the partners would have resolved bargaining in the early Spring/late Summer 2022, with only a 1% salary increase and healthcare cuts and “claw-backs.”  But Union leadership and our members wouldn’t have it, and we continued to bargain through the Summer months and into the current.

Now, we are hearing that District leadership is also characterizing Union leadership’s diligence and fidelity to employee concerns as “obstructionist”, going so far as to suggest that the “Union leadership is not interested in reaching an agreement on salary and benefits”.  Fortunately, most of you already understand that District leadership’s attempts to misinform District employees and the community are simply absurd.

The Union’s patience and thorough approach to the 2022-23 collective bargaining cycle has already paid off.  We have since secured a much more realistic, (albeit still short of what is possible) compensation offer from the CUSD (i.e. 5% with a 2% one-time bonus). That obvious progress, ensuring that District employees will see a several thousand dollar increase to their salaries and wages each year moving forward.  And all the while, the District’s obligation to provide a fully covered high-quality healthcare option remains in force!

Rather than blindly accepting District leadership’s silly explanations for why the process has not been completed in the early months of the 2022-23 collective bargaining cycle, CAUSE leadership asks that you work with us to better understand the details.  We need your accurate understanding, engagement, and participation to support the proposals we carry to the bargaining table.

Your opportunity to directly participate has arrived.  It is time for our members to share their voices and perspectives with each other, District leadership, and the community.   We will discuss this further at our upcoming site-meetings.  In the meantime, we remind District employees; Union leadership can only accomplish what our members are willing to demand.

Full ahead !

~ j. Hotchner * CAUSE President

============================================

* C.A.U.S.E. – Yes We Can ! *

CAUSE ADVISORY

Once Again, CUSD Retaliates Against Union President and Members

================================

Attention CAUSE Union Members, District Employees, and Families:

Many of you know and have worked with, Jay Hotchner, your elected Union president and tireless advocate for District employees.

Although (in a recent precedential legal decision) the state of California directed District leadership to cease and desist from any further retaliation, the District has once again placed Mr. Hotchner on administrative leave.   CUSD leadership has not informed Mr. Hotchner or CAUSE of the District’s charges against him.  CAUSE strongly believes this is further retaliation because of his role as a union leader.

Moving forward, CAUSE and the California Federation of Teachers (CFT) will continue to advocate for its members and Mr. Hotchner (who will continue in his role as CAUSE President and employee advocate).

For more details, please see the letter, linked below, to CAUSE membership.

CAUSE.OpenLetterToMembership.CUSD.Retaliates.Against.EmployeeUnionPresident

In Unity,

~ CAUSE & CFT

============================================

* C.A.U.S.E. – Yes We Can ! *

CAUSE ADVISORY

Bargaining Update

Aug. 30th & 31st, 2022

============================================

Greetings District Employees, Families, and Interested Community Members,

The bargaining partners met on Tuesday (Aug. 30th, 2022), and will meet again today (Aug. 31st, 2022) to continue our Summer bargaining sessions.  Here is a brief update on the major topics discussed…

1.) The CUSD District Calendar:

On Tuesday, the District submitted its most recent counter-proposal, which CUSD published to the community in July, but did not officially and legally submit to CAUSE until yesterday.  After reviewing the proposal, the Union responded with the attached counter-proposal; The Union’s 5th Counter-Proposal on the 2022-23 District Calendar – Aug. 30, 2022.

Contained at the outset of the proposal, the Union proposed that the bargaining partners work to develop a 2 years calendar agreement.  Pursuing a two year calendar agreement is a routine action, when bargaining partners are committed to providing District employees and families an opportunity to plan well in advance of any future District dates, start times, holidays, etc.   In light of the confusion associated with the District’s decision to release the District calendar in the 11th hour of the Summer break, the Union believed this proposal was value added for all parties, but especially employees and student families.

However, the District refused to discuss and promptly rejected the possibility for a two year agreement; stating that it would now prefer a status-quo calendar ( a suggestion CAUSE provided in May, 2022).  Unfortunately, the District’s refusal to even discuss a two year calendar option preserves the same confusion and uncertainty CUSD pursued this Summer; confusion and uncertainty that now appears even more intentional than we had originally thought.

2.) Compensation & Benefits:

CAUSE leadership and District employees refuse to accept the District’s original plan; a 1% salary increase, while continuing to angle for future healthcare cuts, which was simply not acceptable.   And we’re pleased that CUSD is beginning to better understand this, as well as the frustration and hardship experienced by District employees struggling with ‘bread and butter’ issues, as the cost of living (regionally) has increased by approximately 15%.

On Tuesday, the District provided a proposal on Article 6: Compensation & Benefits (see attached).  Although this proposal still falls short, it is more realistic than their position in the late Spring and early Summer, 2022.  Unfortunately, among other concerns, CUSD’s proposal is founded on the District’s politicized budget predictions, versus the unaudited actuals (not politicized predictions) due to be released in late September / early October, 2022.

Similarly, the District’s proposal does little to resolve the variety of other compensation and benefits issues that remain outstanding.  These issues, brought to the attention of the bargaining partners throughout the last year, address the comprehensive proposals and contract amendments our members have requested we pursue.   Therefore, the Union will develop a counter-proposal; as informed by those District employees who have discussed their interests with our representatives, participated in our Union SURVEYS, and shared their suggested improvements throughout the previous year.

Moving forward:

We look forward to meeting with the District shortly, and will send another update when there is more to report.   In the meantime, if you have not had a chance, please take a moment to complete our most recent SURVEY, which explores members’ interest in an “OPT-OUT” option associated with our employee HEALTHCARE offerings.

In Unity,

~ CAUSE Leadership

============================================

* C.A.U.S.E. – Yes We Can ! *