Union Declares IMPASSE – PERB APPROVES Request

Greetings Colleagues, CUSD Employees, Board Members, & District Families,

With the return to the 24-25 school year less than a month away, Union Leadership wanted to provide an update on the collective bargaining process.

After two more Summer bargaining sessions in June, CAUSE declared impasse when it became clear the District was not taking employees’ contract proposals seriously.   District Leadership not only rejected over 100 employee proposals (designed to improve services and outcomes for District students), they also refused to provide respectable salary increases to District employees.

Meanwhile, throughout the 23-24 bargaining cycle, CUSD’s administrators gave themselves a 5% salary increase at the start of the 23-24 school year, and another similar increase a few weeks ago!  (see MINUTE 2:25:00 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?  v=PZX3LLlunhA&list=PLhGoPZRQubpb4As5lqiaNWNOYDsTc2j6O&index=8)  While District administrators have given themselves 7-10% in salary increases, CERTIFICATED & CLASSIFIED employees haven’t received a salary increase since the 2022-23 school year.

Upon declaring IMPASSE, the Union was required to clarify why we believed IMPASSE was the appropriate path forward.  ((Follow this link to review the Union’s “Statement of Facts” – Request for IMPASSE.)  CAUSE’s request for IMPASSE was accepted by the California Public Employment Relations Board [Ca. PERB] almost immediately.

Since that time, Union Leadership has worked to schedule dates for future mediation sessions.  In these sessions, a PERB mediator will review the details associated with the 23-24 bargaining process, and attempt to move the parties (CUSD & CAUSE) towards a mediated agreement.  The first of these sessions is scheduled for August 16, 2024 (9AM-4PM).   However, we were just notified that the District is attempting to withdraw their previous availability, after first requesting and confirming on that date.  Either way, Union Leadership will be hard at work; preparing for a productive IMPASSE process.

Although we hope to have a reasonable agreement to share before the instructional year begins, we must be realistic.  In absence of a mediated agreement, the participation of District employees will be critical in our efforts to better inform District leadership and the community on how the interests and needs of District employees allow us to better serve our students and District families.  We encourage ALL District personnel, their families, and supportive members of the community to consider what you will do to help support employees’ proposed improvements.