PEA

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Negotiations A Publication of the Pittsburg Education Association th 159 E. 4 Street, Pittsburg, CA 94565 (925) 432-0199, peatchrs@att.net February 16, 2012

l a sh p o i n t s

NEGOTIATIONS

No Contract Settlement, Some Movement on Both Sides

The Association and the District met for a bargaining session on February 1st. Unfortunately, the session did not yield a positive outcome. The Associations bargaining team felt the District was recycling its previous proposals with no changes. On top of that, the Superintendent put out a negative update on negotiations that included claims that our monetary proposal would bankrupt the district and our proposal to limit staff meetings would halt progress on student achievement. Lets be clear, Pittsburg Education Association has put nothing but fair and reasonable proposals on the table. From the very beginning, we have been willing to work with the District, but we will not accept language that lessens the working conditions for our members. We are seeking improvements, not reductions to the contract. Our proposal for salary and benefits is fair and affordable given the districts large ending balances for the past four years. Additionally, student achievement does not improve with more staff meetings. Teachers are collaborating more with their colleagues and working more effectively with students in the classroomthis is why student achievement is increasing. Lets give recognition where it is warranted. We met for another session on February 15th. Thanks to your organizing efforts and attendance at the rally, the meeting was much more productive. Both the Association and District made some movement on key proposals. We are close to agreement on Article 7, Personal Business and Article 26, Moving and Relocating. We continue to have significant differences on Article 10, Evaluations, and Article 6, Hours of Employment: Staff Meetings. The District continues to propose weekly staff meetings beyond contract time, except for one week out of the month. They proposed no time limits on meetings and asserted staff could vote to have additional meetings. Furthermore, the Districts last proposal for salary and benefits included no increase in the cap on benefits. We have been paying above the 2008 rate for over three years. We believe it is time for the District to increase the cap to reflect the significant amount of money we are paying out of pocket for benefits each month. (See this weeks O-Team report for more info.) The PEA Bargaining Team needs your support! The only way we will settle this contract is with your organizing efforts. Join us at the School Board meeting Wednesday, February 22 to tell the Board Members to settle our contract now. Lets come together to make things better! Pittsburg Teachers deserve RESPECTFAIR PAYBENEFITSRECOGNITION!
Your PEA Bargaining Team will continue to bargain for what is fair for our members. Our next bargaining session is Friday, February 24th.
PEA Bargaining Team: Dawn Cova, Chair Rancho Medanos Jr. High, John Giaconia Riverside High, Mark Maselli Hillview Jr. High, Jeff Greco Rancho Medanos, Mary Hamlin Stoneman, and Rosemary Louissaint CTA Staff Consultation