Friday, November 18, 2011

Orcutt Bargaining Update November 17 and 18 Sessions

Your Association Bargaining Team met with the district’s attorney and four administrators to begin negotiating the 2011-12 contract. Some issues have already been resolved, yet there are two major issues that the district is so far unwilling to move on:

1.     Fairness for Charter Teachers: The District has proposed a contract that would create three classes of teachers in Orcutt; those who work in the non-charter schools, those who work in the charter schools and had permanence in the non-charter schools, and those who were hired directly into the charter schools. Under the District’s plan, two teachers could work next door to each other and have drastically different rights for dismissal and layoff. One would have the right to an independent review for either action, the other could be fired for virtually any reason, and fired at the end of the year for no reason at all and with no right of return. We are one group of teachers, teaching one community of students, and we should all have equal rights under our contract and under law.

2.     Smaller class sizes: The Association has proposed to make class sizes smaller, or to compensate teachers when the District wants the flexibility to keep a class larger. Over two days of bargaining, the District’s attorney has refused to make a counterproposal other than “no.” At one point, attorney David Larsen called the teachers of Orcutt “spoiled,” despite the fact that the student-to-teacher ratio in Orcutt is higher than any elementary district in the county. Higher than Santa Maria-Bonita. Higher than Guadalupe. Higher than Blochman.

In the coming weeks, Association leaders and CTA staff will be in your buildings to talk about the facts in this bargain and what you can do to get a fair settlement in these negotiations.

Updates 11/18/11

1. If anyone is interested in applying for a Teacher's Lounge Makeover worth $7500 I am giving you the website to apply... www.schoollongemakeover.com. This offer is through California Casualty Insurance.
2. By now you should have received your CTA calendar, CTA benefits folders, and CTA membership cards from your Site Rep. Please let me know if you did not receive a card or if there is an error with your personal information. Just a reminder that many businesses have discounts for teachers and your CTA card can be your proof of profession.
3. Soon I will have 2010-2011 OEA Contracts available at your sites...in the mean time our contract can be found on our website at www.orcutteducators.com. Thank you Paul Cleveland for all your continued hard work on this website!
4. Please see the attached OEA Scholarship form if you are interested in attending a conference this school year. In order to apply for the $100 OEA Scholarship fill out the form, get a signature from your Site Rep. and send it to Roberta Hough (OEA Treasurer) at Pine Grove.
5. If you are noticing a Safety Issue at your site please fill out a safety form (attached) and present it to your Site Supervisor so that a work order can be filled out or the issue can be addressed. This protocol was discussed at our Safety Committee meeting last week.
6. Please send an email to Bobette Mussell ( bmussell@orcutt-schools.net) if there is a member at your site who needs attention from the OEA Social Committee. Bobette is our Social Chair and is happy to send a card, flowers, etc. on behalf of OEA.
7. I have attached your TEAM OEA so that you are aware of your Executive Board, Negotiation Team, Grievance Chair, Social Chair, and Site Reps. We are so lucky to have so many members involved.
Please let me know if you have any questions and/or concerns...I am happy to help you in any way I can!
Mahalo,
Monique
714-9861 

Sunday, March 27, 2011

PERB Rules for OEA!

On March 15th, the PERB legal hearing officer, Eric Cu, ruled that Orcutt Academy teachers should be part of OEA.  In a 30 page ruling, Cu repeatedly cited case law to back up his opinion.  Superintendent Robert Bush has stated that the Board will appeal the ruling within the 20 day legal limit.  The cost of the district's legal fees hasn't been disclosed but it is safe to assume it will be in excess of $10,000.  When that exact figure is known it will be posted here for all to see.