On Friday April 19 our bargaining team met with the CMO to present a counteroffer to their March 15 comprehensive package proposal. Package proposals can only be accepted or rejected as a whole. While the CMO’s last proposal provided pay increases that are significant, it was lacking in several other areas that we believe need to be addressed to provide a first contract that truly respects the work of school support staff.
In response, we presented a package proposal of our own that accepts the school’s proposed pay increase and most of the school’s other demands tied to it. Our proposal differed from the CMO’s proposal in the following ways:
HOW DID THE CMO RESPOND? Despite our belief that the proposal was reasonable and moved us closer to settling the entire contract, the CMO representatives responded with anger. They were upset that our team didn’t accept their March 15 proposal in full and that we attempted to improve areas beyond just wages. They were shocked that we believe improved salaries without improved respect for us as professionals wasn’t enough to accept. They threatened that without accepting their proposal now, they could take away their offer for higher pay – despite this being a potential sign of bad faith bargaining in violation of state law. They even accused certificated staff of manipulating our bargaining team to push for things that would benefit them. We aren’t shocked by these divide and conquer tactics to pressure us into accepting a proposal that provides no real job protections or due process rights. Our siblings on the certificated bargaining team shared similar experiences, and we remain strong in our desire to settle a fair and just contract. WHAT’S NEXT? The CMO did not provide us with a counterproposal on Friday. They will suggest future dates when we can continue the discussion. In the meantime, check in with your site representatives to discuss plans for rallies in support of our members at all four villages on May 9. In Solidarity, HTEC Classified Bargaining Committee Socorro Castaneda, Custodian (Point Loma) Roman Cardenas, Academic Coach (HTHCV) Jocelyn Flores, Village Program Manager (HTHNC) Maricela Ginori, Custodian (Point Loma) Daniel Ortiz, Maintenance Technician (Mesa) Joanna Sandoval, Academic Coach (HTHCV) Last month, teachers at HTe and HTeX expressed concerns over the lack of information and teacher input regarding the Transitional Kindergarten (TK) program that HTH plans to implement at both schools in the 2024-2025 school year. In response to those concerns, HTEC asserted our members’ rights to bargain over the impacts and effects of the TK program so that HTe and HTeX teachers would have a seat at the decision-making table.
To prepare for negotiations, HTEC organized a TK bargain input session for the Point Loma elementary schools on March 21st to gather unit members’ priorities regarding implementation of the program. Subsequently, two teachers from each elementary school volunteered to serve on the TK bargaining team and were officially confirmed by unanimous vote of the HTEC officers. On Tuesday, our bargaining team met with the CMO for our first TK bargaining session. We used the meeting with the CMO to gather information about the implementation of the TK program and to ask questions about how the CMO intends to address specific concerns that teachers from both schools have raised. We then used the information they shared with us to present an initial proposal, which addresses the following areas:
Our team explained each section of the proposal to the CMO and responded to their questions. They will consider our proposal and will offer us dates for the next session, where we will anticipate their response. In Solidarity, The TK Bargaining Team Ricardo Borja, High Tech Elementary Starry Krueger, High Tech Elementary Vanesa Murrieta, High Tech Elementary Explorer Nikki Szudlo, High Tech Elementary Explorer Hayden Gore, HTEC President On Friday March 15 our bargaining team again met with the CMO. At their request, the CMO presented a package proposal (can only be accepted or rejected as a whole) of what they believed would settle all issues for a final contract.
This proposal included a series of raises that would get all HTH employees to at least $20 per hour by July 1, 2025. Raises would be implemented as follows: Retroactive to July 1, 2023 (with full back pay) Hourly Members: 7.4% to 16.6%, with a minimum wage of $17.50 per hour Salaried Members: 7.4% Effective July 1, 2024 Hourly Members: 7.1% increase, with a minimum wage of $18.75 per hour Salaried Members: 6.7% increase Effective July 1, 2025 Hourly Members: 6.6% increase, with a minimum wage of $20 per hour Salaried Members: 6.3% increase In total, salaried members would receive substantial back pay and a total compounded pay increase of 21.8% phased in over the next 15 months. Hourly employees would see between a 22.7% and 32.9% increase over that same period. The proposal would also provide salary placement credit for all years of experience prior to being employed at HTH and credit for each year of service at HTH, meaning that some members may qualify for a higher placement than what they’re currently receiving. Despite this significant move in the right direction when it comes to pay, the proposal contained multiple sections that cause concern for our bargaining team. This includes:
While we are significantly closer to a finalized contract that can be presented to members for ratification, these outstanding issues must be addressed before we can sign a tentative agreement. We hope to have another bargaining date scheduled in April just after spring break. In Solidarity, HTEC Classified Bargaining Committee Socorro Castaneda, Custodian (Point Loma) Roman Cardenas, Academic Coach (HTHCV) Jocelyn Flores, Village Program Manager (HTHNC) Maricela Ginori, Custodian (Point Loma) Daniel Ortiz, Maintenance Technician (Mesa) Joanna Sandoval, Academic Coach (HTHCV) On Monday, March 4 our bargaining team met with the CMO to continue bargaining our first contract.
Our bargaining team was finally able to present a counterproposal to the CMO on wages for classified members. We proposed an 18.7-percent across the board raise for all classified members, which would allow our hourly rates to start at $20/hr. We stressed with the CMO how we have members earning less than many of the students whom we directly support, and that fully staffing High Tech schools will always be impossible if we can’t offer hourly rates that are competitive, not only with other schools, but with other job opportunities that exist. Our second proposal covered safety and attempts to guarantee basic, common sense measures to ensure classified employees can work without endangering their health and safety. This includes the availability of safety equipment and training, and proper notification of potential unsafe situations, including when assigned to support a student with a documented history of violent behavior or threats. ______________________________________________ The CMO provided a counter proposal for discipline and evaluations. While these proposals bring us closer to agreement on the topics, they still fall short in key ways. The CMO’s discipline proposal allows for the CMO to skip steps of the progressive discipline process at their discretion. We believe this is a problem, as it undermines the entire concept of progressive discipline to address specific concerns. Their evaluation proposal does not guarantee that ACs will receive professional development that is relevant to that which teachers receive, furthering a disconnect that impacts students when classified and certificated unit members are not on the same page. ______________________________________________ While we didn’t reach any agreements this week, both teams agreed to make bargaining a priority and scheduled an additional meeting prior to the start of spring break, on March 15. In Solidarity, HTEC Classified Bargaining Committee Socorro Castaneda, Custodian (Point Loma) Roman Cardenas, Academic Coach (HTHCV) Jocelyn Flores, Village Program Manager (HTHNC) Maricela Ginori, Custodian (Point Loma) Daniel Ortiz, Maintenance Technician (Mesa) Joanna Sandoval, Academic Coach (HTHCV) After a weeklong election on the recent salary and benefits coverage agreement, HTEC Site Representatives and Officers met last night for a Special Rep Council to tabulate and certify the vote. At 5:57 pm, HTEC Elections Chair Ann McAfee announced the results: 341 out of 342 voting members cast their ballots in favor of ratification. As a result, ratification passed with a 99.7% majority!
The ratified agreement includes:
How Much Exactly Will You Get Paid? Use a copy of the HTEC Raise Calculator to see how much you will earn over the 2-year period of the agreement. Check the updated salary schedules to see exactly how much you will earn each year:
What Happens Next? The HTH board has called a Special Board Meeting on Wednesday, February 28 and is expected to ratify the agreement at that meeting. Once the HTH board also ratifies the agreement, it will go into immediate effect. The CMO has told us that they will provide us with a timeline on when certificated staff will see the 6% increase reflected in their paychecks and when they can expect to receive retroactive pay. As soon as we have the payment timeline from the CMO, we will pass that information along to you! Great Work, Everyone! We want to celebrate all of the hard work and sacrifice that HTEC members have put in over the last 10 months to make this salary win possible. HTEC members continue to demonstrate the positive change we can make to teaching and learning at HTH when we stand united around a COLLECTIVE demand. With this agreement in place, we can now turn our full attention to supporting our classified siblings as they fight to win a fair contract that puts honor, recognition, and reward on the critical work they perform in support of our students and community. As always, we are ready! In a huge win for custodians and maintenance staff, the HTH CMO has acknowledged that custodians can return to their prior work schedule and that HTH will put an end to rotating maintenance staff from one village to another. As we reported in January, HTH made those changes unilaterally without first bargaining them with the classified unit. Those changes forced our custodians to work later into the evening, while increased travel time and costs for maintenance staff ate into their wages and disrupted their routines.
In response, HTEC asserted our right to bargain over those changes, and the CMO finally acknowledged this week that custodians may elect to work from 1:00 pm - 9:30 pm or 2:00 pm - 10:30 pm. The CMO asks that custodians commit to one of the two options for their regular work schedule and that custodians express their preference in writing to their supervisor. For maintenance techs, the CMO has recognized that employees require greater consistency in terms of their work location. As a result, the CMO has decided to stop rotating maintenance techs away from their primary work site. The CMO has communicated to our union leadership that this change will take effect as soon as they have filled the remaining vacancies in the department and are fully staffed. Both sides will meet at the negotiating table on March 4, and will discuss the implementation of these changes. These wins came about only because of the determined efforts of our custodians and maintenance techs who organized around this issue, rallied our community to their side, and advocated for their rights at work. You have given us all an example of what we can achieve as a union when we stand united around a common demand! In solidarity, HTEC Elected Officers Hayden Gore, President Rose Reiken, Certificated VP Joanna Sandoval, Classified VP Claire Deken, Secretary Michael Chin, Treasurer TOGETHER, WE DID IT! Tentative Agreement on Salary IncreasesOn February 5, HTEC’s certificated bargaining team reached a tentative agreement on salary increases for the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school years. The agreement includes:
Use a copy of the HTEC Raise Calculator QR to figure out exactly how much you will earn over the course of the 2-year agreement. Ratification Info Session Thursday, February 15 from 5:00-6:00 pmJoin us on Zoom to hear about the details of the salary agreement, share your feedback, and get your questions answered! Join the Zoom meeting on Thursday, February 15 from 5:00-6:00 pm at: https://zoom.us/j/97664826288?pwd=YUlDaGJaTWFtc0RlcEpkNjFYUE1FZz09 Meeting ID: 976 6482 6288 Passcode: 049409 How Does Ratification Work?In order for the agreement to take effect, a majority of HTEC dues-paying members must approve of it through a democratic vote. Site Reps will begin to hand out paper ballots to HTEC members on Monday, February 12th. The ballot includes a yes or no vote on a package of two agreements:
The ratification vote window will close on Tuesday, February 20th, at which point Ann McAfee, the HTEC Election Committee Chair, will tabulate the votes and announce the results. Once HTEC membership and the HTH board of directors have both voted for ratification, the agreement will take immediate effect. Who Can Vote?Only dues-paying members can vote for ratification of the agreement. If you are not yet an HTEC member, see your Site Rep about a membership form so that you can join the union, cast your vote, and make your voice heard! Great Work, Everyone!HTEC recognizes and acknowledges all the hard work and sacrifice that HTEC members have put in over the last 10 months to make this agreement possible. You have demonstrated, once again, the positive change that we can make to teaching and learning at HTH when we stand in unity together. With this agreement in place, we can now turn our full attention to our classified union siblings and support them as they fight to win a fair contract that honors the critical support they provide to HTH students and our entire community. As always, we are ready! After an unprecedented amount of membership pressure on the HTH board last week, this morning our bargaining team reached a tentative agreement with the CMO that covers salary for both the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years!
The final agreement includes:
At the beginning of the bargaining session, the CMO presented a proposal for a 5% increase this year, a 1% increase next year, and an added 2% one-time retention bonus paid only to returning teachers next September. This resulted in a long discussion about the realities of our membership’s expectations from the CMO, and what it would take to put real value and appreciation on the work our teachers do at HTH. We reiterated that this was not our bargaining team’s demand, but the demand of 400 HTEC members who have made their voices heard. The CMO then presented an updated proposal that we believe reflects the best possible agreement for our membership. In total across the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years, teachers will receive an ongoing increase of approximately 8.31%, falling just shy of the projected (but not guaranteed) state-provided COLA of 8.98% across the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years. The agreement also gains ground on many San Diego school districts. San Diego Unified, for example, agreed to a 5% raise for this year and continues to bargain for next year. Given the uncertainties of California’s economy, we strongly believe this agreement meets our goals. The agreements are considered tentative until both HTEC members and the HTH board ratify the agreements. Details on our ratification process will be sent to dues-paying HTEC members shortly. We recognize and acknowledge all the hard work and sacrifice that HTEC members have put in over the last 10 months to make this agreement possible. We have demonstrated, once again, the positive change that we can make to teaching and learning at HTH when we stand in unity together. Remember: only dues-paying HTEC members can vote to ratify the agreement. Teachers who have yet to join the Collective can do so online today. The HTEC Certificated Bargaining Team Hayden Gore, HTM Chula Vista Grady Gumner, HTe Mesa Charley Jacob, HTH North County Jennifer Merrill, HTe Point Loma Chris Mutter, HTH International Chris Olivas, HTM North County Rose Reiken, HTM Mesa Mary Williams, HTM Point Loma Our bargaining team met with the CMO Tuesday afternoon to continue discussions about salary increases.
Our team emphasized with the CMO the frustration members have felt throughout the bargaining process, noting that their initial offer that would have seen half our members receive just a 1-percent raise for 2023-24 sowed the seeds for a widespread feeling that there is no recourse but to take action through a strike. We expressed how teachers need to feel valued, and that while we can get creative on how we get there, there needs to be an investment in retaining staff even if doing so pushes the comfort level of CMO staff. Our proposal reflects this by continuing to push for an 8-percent pay raise over a two-year agreement. This would be structured as 6-percent retroactive to the start of this school year and an additional 2-percent next year. This compromise proposal would allow our educators to make up ground with surrounding districts in the long-term while saving the CMO the equivalent cost of 1-percent by reducing the amount of backpay that would be provided in the short-term. HTEC Last Proposal
CMO Last Proposal
The CMO expressed discomfort with being able to guarantee 2-percent for next year, given that the state provided cost of living adjustment is projected to be 0.76-percent. Unfortunately the CMO was not able to put together a counteroffer they believed our membership would accept within the three hours that had been scheduled for the bargaining session. Next Steps Our next bargaining session is scheduled for February 5, and the ball is in the CMO’s court. It is important that we not only show up to the January 31 board meeting but speak to the critical need for the CMO’s bargaining team to accept our proposal. We want all our great teachers to remain at HTH, but we can’t without the CMO investing in us. In Solidarity, The HTEC Certificated Bargaining Team Hayden Gore, HTM Chula Vista Grady Gumner, HTe Mesa Charley Jacob, HTH North County Jennifer Merrill, HTe Point Loma Chris Mutter, HTH International Chris Olivas, HTM North County Rose Reiken, HTM Mesa Mary Williams, HTM Point Loma On Thursday, January 18 our bargaining team met with the CMO to continue bargaining our first contract.
We once again hoped to present a counterproposal to the CMO’s last wage proposal, but were unable to do so as CMO hasn’t provided updated budget data that has been requested. Our bargaining presented three proposals covering key issues for our members. Our proposals were: Employment Status and Discipline (packaged as one proposal) Since the right to due process prior to being fired is a fundamental part of discipline, we decided to package our employment status and discipline proposals together, so that they can only be accepted or rejected together. The employment status component is identical to our proposal from August 31, with a 120 day introductory period prior to receiving due process rights for discipline or dismissal. The discipline component accepts most of what the CMO previously proposed. Changes to their proposal are largely to clarify intent of the article and to protect and clarify rights that members have when it comes to discipline and derogatory materials placed in personnel files. Leaves Our leaves proposal accepts the CMO’s previous proposal to maintain the status quo for who is eligible to earn paid vacation to only hourly employees working a 12-month calendar. However, we did propose that these members earn at least two weeks of vacation time starting with their first full year of employment. Members would earn 13 days per year after completing three full school years, and 17 vacation days after completing five full school years. The CMO’s proposal is 5 days for the first two years, 10 days for years three and four, and 15 days starting with year five. In exchange we proposed that all unit members be allowed to use up to three days of sick leave every year for personal business at their discretion. This would allow members to address personal business during regular work hours throughout the year rather than holding off until school break periods. We also again reiterated our demand for classified employees to earn the same sick leave rights as teachers, with 1 hour of sick leave earned for every 19 hours worked (up to 10 days per year) without them expiring. We believe this is fair and inline with industry standards for school employees. ______________________________________________ The CMO provided a counter proposal for Collective Rights. This section of the contract provides details on how the CMO will comply with state laws that give union members the ability to communicate about union business. Our proposal last month was nearly identical to that in the teachers’ contract, with only minor updates to cover the difference between teachers and support staff. The CMO’s proposal makes additional changes they believe better reflect the differences between teachers and support staff. Our next bargaining session is scheduled for February 15. In Solidarity, HTEC Classified Bargaining Committee Socorro Castaneda, Custodian (Point Loma) Roman Cardenas, Academic Coach (HTHCV) Jocelyn Flores, Village Program Manager (HTHNC) Maricela Ginori, Custodian (Point Loma) Daniel Ortiz, Maintenance Technician (Mesa) Joanna Sandoval, Academic Coach (HTHCV) |
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