CAUSE ADVISORY
About Today’s Arbitration / Hearing:
Re. CUSD’s Performance Evaluation Violations
Why Evaluations Matter?
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Greeting CUSD Colleagues & Families,
Today, as a result of the recent decision by a neutral state arbitrator, CUSD and CAUSE will be in hearings throughout the day. In these hearings, we’ll be exploring the District’s now well documented violations associated with CLASSIFIED performance evaluations.
Meanwhile, we wanted to help District employees clearly understand the contractual process they are both required and entitled to participate in. Developing a strong record of high quality professional growth and performance is an important part of your professional experience and record.
Here’s why evaluations matter:
1.) The Evaluation processes, as contained in the CERTIFICATED & CLASSIFIED collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) are a measuring tool for employee performance.
The evaluation process is an opportunity for site/facility administrators to work directly and constructively with the CUSD employees they supervise. The evaluation article and process are designed to improve employee performance. The contract article (again, attached) is designed to serve as a growth-oriented process (i.e. versus a disciplinary process, which is also contained in the CBA.)
2.) The evaluation process provides all District employees an opportunity to both demonstrate their professional competency.
3.) The evaluation process provides both employees and the District with a formal record of their high-quality performance; the documentation being maintained and preserved in each employee’s personnel file. This formal record may impact a variety of future and/or other professional matters, such as…
- It may be used to inform promotion decisions.
- It may be used to investigate past performance, to contest or in the face of fabricated disciplinary allegations.
- In both external (ex. PERB, State courts, etc.) and internal (ex.. meetings with the Human Resource Department, Site-Meetings, etc.) environments, performance evaluation may be used to establish a pattern of professional and ethical conduct and performance.
4.) The evaluation process is not intended or designed to serve as a disciplinary process. These are two distinct processes in the CLASSIFIED CBA, which are not to be confused or conflated. The evaluation process is not to be used by CUSD administrators to either play “Gotcha’!” with previously unannounced performance concerns, or as a retaliatory tool when supervisors take offense with an employees gender, race, ethnicity, Union affiliation, medical condition, age, or for any other discriminatory reason.
Union leadership looks forward to providing further updates as the arbitration process continues. Your attention, engagement, and support are appreciated.
In Solidarity,
~ j. Hotchner * CAUSE President
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* C.A.U.S.E. – Yes We Can ! *