Friday, September 6, 2013

Negotiations Timeline

Aloha,

I feel it is very important at this time to share the following time line with the OEA membership so that you can have a sense of where we are at this point in time:

September 2012

OEA and the District agreed on a Master MOU (memorandum of understanding).  The MOU stated that both parties reached an agreement on the following issues:

1. Term
2.  Evaluation
3.  Leaves, Sabbatical Leave
4.  Class Size
5.  Working Days and Hours
6.  Compensation, including Health & Welfare Benefits
7.  Appendix B - Stipends
8.  Organizational Rights
9.  Peer Assistance and Review
10. Safety
11. Early Retirement
12. Completion of Meet and Negotiate
13. An MOU granting two (2) percent one-time, off-schedule compensation increase
14. An MOU granting compensatory time to TK and Kindergarten teachers for interviewing students prior to the school year

The reason why we were not able to  ratify our contract is because OEA and the District have not resolved provisions in the Collective Bargaining Agreement pertaining to certain employment rights and issues of Bargaining Unit Members who work for the District's Charter School.  Those rights are the rights of Unit Members at the Charter sites in cases of lay-off, discipline, and dismissal.

December 2012

OEA and the District attended the fact-finding hearing.  In fact-finding, a panel of three - one neutral party appointed by the state, one appointed by OEA, and one appointed by the District - hear the parties' positions and their rationale for taking their positions.  During the hearing, each team presented a binder full of information.  At the conclusion of our fact-finding session both parties agreed to form a "Super Committee" to continue discussing the issues of discipline and dismissal rights for members who work at Orcutt Academy.

April 2013

At the conclusion of the "Super Committee" meetings both parties still did not come to an agreement on the issue of the rights of Unit Members at the Charter sites in cases of lay-off, discipline, and dismissal.  Therefore, this issue went to our one neutral party appointed by the state to send us a report.  To this date, we still have not received a report.

August 2013

OEA has received a letter from our Superintendent letting us know that absent an agreement with OEA, our membership will be picking up the slight increase in the Health and Welfare benefits for the 2013-2014 school year.  OEA has also learned from CTA that we can proceed in the negotiations process even though we are still involved in fact-finding.

September 2013

Given the above information your Executive Board and Negotiations Team (Monique L. Segura, Anna Zucker, Pat Brickey, Elizabeth Parker, Roberta Hough, Steve Blackie, Don Robertson, Scott Gelotti, Anita Perales, and Lisa Wilkanoski) met on Tuesday, Sept. 3rd to discuss this situation.  We agreed to present an MOU to the District stating "Contingent upon School Board approval, the Orcutt Educators Association and the Orcutt Union School District do hereby mutually agree that beginning October 1, 2013, the District will pick up the proportional increases to the premium cost for health benefits for 2013-2014 school year."  Yesterday (Sept. 5th) I made that presentation to Bob Bush and Don Nicholson...I should hear later today if the School Board will agree to the MOU.

Our OEA Executive Board and Negotiations Team also decided to move forward on the negotiations process.  Later today I will be presenting Bob Bush with OEA's Initial Contract Proposal.  The three articles we are proposing to open are:  Article VIII - Class Size, Article IX - Working Days and Hours, and Article X - Compensation.  This Initial Contract Proposal will go to the School Board at the Sept. 11th meeting.

I hope this time line has been helpful in understanding where we are with negotiations and where we are going.  Please feel free to contact me at any time with questions and/or concerns.  As we begin this process please know that your OEA team is working hard to gain a better contract for you!

Mahalo,
Monique
714-9861

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