Blog Archives

Bargaining Update

7/30/2020

Hi Folks,
Your CUTA Bargaining Team met with the District yesterday. While we are not yet finished and will meet again this coming Tuesday, the teams did agree on several issues. You are not going to like the first one, nor do we. It was a compromise we were willing to make. You have the absolute right to disagree with us and vote this down.
Items agreed to so far either in writing or in general concept with further details being worked on are for Stage 1 on-line learning. I spoke with Jim Hanlon this morning. We should be sending out exact language of everything agreed to so far, as well as items still being discussed, some time this Monday.

Three hours of the teacher’s work day will be provided on-site. The District will determine when those three hours are delivered within the pre-COVID workday for that site. Example: Chico High teachers pre-Covid workday was 7:45-3:10. Your 3-hour block on site will fall with-in that time frame. For most members, this would be the first 3 hours of the day, though special education, Title 1, ELD, counselors and others might be scheduled at later times within the workday. The 3 hours must be contiguous; the District can't give you a "split shift".

Your CUTA Bargaining Team’s rationale: We had to choose between a compromise or playing hardball, as will you when this all comes to you for a vote. The hardball option: stick to our position that teachers will be given the choice to work from home or school as we did in the spring. If the District sticks to their position and there is no agreement when school starts August 17, existing contract language prevails and all educators are on campus for the entire day. I’m not sure if they could contractually force you to use Edgenuity at the secondary level as that is an independent study program and members can not be involuntarily transferred or reassigned into an “alternative program”. I imagine they could require you to teach your lessons in some form accessible to the students within your workday. I’m unclear how that would work. My guess is both sides would be breaking out the lawyers. On the other hand, the District may “blink first”, see it from our point of view, and let teachers choose to work from home or school. If we take this course, I imagine that they will not be as willing to agree to other parts of the MOU that we like (that I’m sure they are not crazy about). With school this close and the chaos playing hardball may cause for all, we chose the compromise. You do not have to and can vote no when we have finished the entire MOU.

The Elementary day is the 180 minutes on site doing (I can’t describe it here, but that info will come out very soon) plus 60 minutes of (I can’t describe it here, but that info will come out very soon). The remainder of your work day is prep time. The 60 minutes and the prep time may be completed where the member chooses
The Secondary day is five 30 minute on-line “periods” (I can’t describe it here, but that info will come out very soon) plus one 30 minute prep “period” during your 180 minutes on-site plus an additional 130 minutes of (I can’t describe it here, but that info will come out very soon) delivered from home or school during your “normal” workday.
The District is working on providing childcare options for members (details still being worked out)
Members will receive paid leave and not be docked sick leave if they can not work due to COVID illness (details still being worked out)
Members who must be quarantined will be reassigned in a way that they can work from home so as not to be docked sick leave (details still being worked out)

Again, there is a multitude of other details I am not including. We started with a 21 page safety document that CTA proposed in Marin County and have been editing it to fit our needs. You should get that Monday to look at as we continue negotiations. We meet with the District again this coming Tuesday.

I am aware you will have many questions. Would you please wait until the proposed MOU language comes out on Monday?

Take Care,
Kevin

Kevin Moretti
CUTA Chapter President
530-343-0226/530-828-9803

0 Comments

Bargaining Update

7/26/2020

0 Comments

Hello colleagues,
Your CUTA bargaining team and the District met last Thursday to continue negotiations related to the reopening of school for the 2020-2021 academic year. With COVID-19 cases increasing in Butte County, we need to negotiate an MOU encompassing several pieces: safety protocols at school sites, working conditions for online/distance learning, and working conditions for a hybrid/modified schedule. Butte County is now on the state watch list, which means we are almost certainly going to begin the year in an online/distance teaching model, so we have started with a focus on safety protocols and online/distance learning.

Although we discussed many issues related to reopening, one major issue arose immediately. The District believes that teachers must be on campus daily during the regular work day to teach in an online/distance model. In addition, the District believes that teachers with children should not be able to bring their children to their classroom during the work day. CUTA believes that teachers should have the option to work from home or go to their school site in an online/distance model.

In an effort to alleviate the obvious issues of child care that their stance will cause for teachers with children, the District is developing childcare options for members’ children. The exact parameters of this child care option are still in the works.

Additionally, CUTA feels very strongly that the District needs to recognize the same leave language that we agreed upon in our spring online/distance learning MOU, namely that if a member is diagnosed with COVID-19 and is unable to work, that member will be entitled to paid leave for the entirety of the COVID-19 related absence that does not come from their own accumulated sick leave.

There is a caveat to our position. CUTA feels strongly that the above leave language should be included in any agreement with the District for teaching models in which members are required to go to their school sites. To be clear, if members have the option to teach from home during online/distance learning, we don’t think the District should have to honor that leave language. But if members are required to go to campus, either during online/distance learning or when we return to school sites later during a hybrid/modified schedule or a traditional schedule with safety protocols in place, we feel that leave language should be honored.

There are many, many complicated pieces to these negotiations, but this is central to our return to school. CUTA is aware that a letter writing campaign has begun organically among members to address this issue with the District. Kelly Staley has said she wants to hear from members. Please email her and Jim Hanlon if you have questions about the policy of teaching online from our school sites, whether or not you have children.

We have a lot to get done in a very short time, and any MOU we create with the District will be subject to a member vote. CTA has provided secure, anonymous voting technology so that we don’t have to vote in person. In addition, CUTA plans to survey members about various issues in the coming weeks. Please keep an eye on your email if possible.

Thank you for taking the time to stay informed.

Charlie Snyder
Bargaining Chair
Chico Unified Teachers Association

0 Comments

CUTA News

Bargaining Update

Bargaining Update

AuthorS

Archives

Categories

Chico Teachers Stand United!

Hours

Telephone

Contact Us