Student Loan Forgiveness

CSEA/OEA Social

CSEA/OEA

Combined Social Gathering

Radisson Hotel Bar

Friday, September 18

4:00-6:00

Appetizers Provided

Come, meet, and socialize with the our wonderful classified district employees

CSEA & OEA will provide appetizers

Beverages for purchase at the bar

Welcome Back

Welcome Back to a new School Year!  Your negotiations team would like to bring you up to speed on a couple of items:

1.  In May of 2015 the School Board approved the hiring of two teachers new to our School District with their full years of service from their previous employer.  One teacher gained 9 years of credit and another teacher gained 15 years of credit.  Before this went to the School Board for approval the association brought it to the District's attention because this is a direct violation of the OEA Collective Bargaining Agreement.  The District claimed this was past practice and approved the hires.  The Association does not see this as past practice because past practice means both parties are aware of the practice and agree to the practice.  The Association was not aware of the District's past practice nor does the Association agree with a violation to our Collective Bargaining Agreement for any members or soon to be members of the Association.  The Association filed a level I grievance in June of 2015 and the District denied the grievance.  The Association filed a level II grievance in late June of 2015 and the District denied the grievance.  The Association and/or the District can request mediation before going to the Level III grievance and that is what we have done.  The Negotiations Team along with our Grievance Chair will be at mediation on September 16th in an attempt to resolve this issue.  The Association has also simultaneously filed an unfair labor practice with the Public Employees Relation Board.  The Association took this measure because at this point we do not have binding arbitration.  Without binding arbitration the level III grievance would be determined by the School Board and not an impartial party.  

2.  Negotiations begin on October 2 at the CTA office.  The District has requested to have the district lawyer present at the table this year, therefore OEA will have our CTA representative present at the table as well.  The Articles that the Associationhas submitted to open are:  

Article IV - Grievance Procedure (Binding Arbitration) 

Article V - Transfers and Reassignment

Article VIII - Class Size

Article IX - Working Days and Hours

Article X - Compensation.  

The Articles that the District has submitted to open are: 

Article II - Term (Multi-year agreement)

Article V - Transfer and Reassignment (Address issues related to transfers and reassignment

Article VIII - Class Size (Address issues related to LCFF)

Article IX - Working Days and Hours (Provide additional flexibility for scheduling within the district)

Article X - Compensation (Address issues related to compensation and increased health benefits cost)

As a reminder we have already settled on Health Benefits and that is considered by the School District part of our Compensation package.

We will keep all of our members posted as we proceed on both the mediation process and the negotiation process.  We appreciate your support and we welcome any comments and/or questions you have for your team!  For a list of our Negotiations Team members please see the left hand side of our website and look at Team OEA.  Please enjoy your 3-day weekend!

Mahalo,

Monique L. Segura

President, Orcutt Educators Association

805-714-9861

Negotiations Update

Aloha,

Your OEA negotiations team is pleased to report that, effective upon ratification of the Tentative Agreement signed today, all members of the Orcutt Educators Association will have equal Education Code rights “for purposes including but not limited to probationary status, discipline, reduction in force and dismissal.”

In addition, the Association and District agreed to a two-year trial of banking minutes to allow for a weekly hour of collaboration time at every site. Schedules will be adjusted to lengthen the school day by up to 15 minutes per day to allow for that hour, and that additional time will be compensated through a temporary pay increase of two percent during the life of the MOU.

This agreement will allow all of the contract improvements since 2012 to become part of the official Collective Bargaining Agreement, with an expiration date of June 30, 2015.

It is important that you come to hear the details, ask questions and do your due diligence as an OEA member, and vote at the General Membership meeting on Tuesday, May 12, at 4 p.m., in the OAHS Multipurpose Room.

Please feel free to contact if you have any questions!

Mahalo,

Monique L. Segura

President, Orcutt Educators Association

805-714-9861

Support Lucia Mar

Aloha,

As many of you know your OEA negotiations team and the District met with a State Mediator on Tuesday, March 17, 2015.  The issue that we are still discussing in this mediation is Equal Employment Rights for our direct hires to the Orcutt Academy Charter K-12 School.  At this point we are still in the mediation process and the process is confidential.  Our next session is scheduled for Thursday, April 30, 2015.  We will share information as we are able to.

Another important piece of information that I would like to share is the Lucia Mar Teachers and their fight for a fair contract.  At this point the Lucia Mar district is actively recruiting substitute teachers through craigs list, the community, Lucia Mar classified association, Santa Maria-Bonita School District, Orcutt Union School District, and other surrounding school districts.  They are advertising to pay those substitutes (those who cross the picket line) $300 a day.  This will surely affect all of us!

Please join me on Tuesday, March 24, 2015 to show our solidarity and support for the Lucia Mar Teachers! The community rally is 4:30-6:30 pm and the LMUSD Board Meeting starts at 7 pm.  Wear Blue!  Please see the flyer below with more details!  

Mahalo,

Monique L. Segura

President, Orcutt Educators Association

Call for Suppport

Fact Finder Report Does Nothing to Help

Aloha My fellow OEA Members,

I hope you are enjoying the rest of your winter break. I am writing you now to share with you the news about our two-year-old fact finding.

Fact finder, Bonnie Castrey, has issued her report, and it does nothing to help us find a resolution in our conflict with the District over equal rights for charter teachers. Soon we will post her full recommendation and our CTA staff’s response on the Association website, so you can read for yourself.

Ms. Castrey has recommended advisory arbitration as the final step in discipline and dismissal processes for charter teachers. Her recommendation is very vague, and actually could be interpreted as worse than the District’s last, best, and final offer. We made it clear in our response that the fact-finder’s report is full of errors and would be fundamentally unfair to our charter members.

Now the report is in the hands of the School Board. They may impose the fact finders recommendation; or impose their last, best and final offer; or do nothing and continue as things are. Whatever their response, we will continue to bargain for a settlement that is fair to all of our members.

Mahalo,

Monique L. Segura

President, Orcutt Educators Association

805-714-9861