SDEA is currently in the second year of a three-year closed contract, protecting and guaranteeing our wages, benefits and other core contractual rights. Our strong three-year closed contract was and remains a great victory for our union, and cannot be unilaterally opened or amended by the School Board, the County, or even the state of California—only by a majority ratification vote of our 8,000+ members can our contract be altered mid-term. Period.
While our contract is closed, SDEA leadership will continue to demand to negotiate with the District over mid-term mandatory subjects of bargaining (such as the impacts and effects of the District’s decision to lay off our members). Such negotiations do not impact the content of the rest our contract. Just as when we negotiate our full contract, it is important that our members organize to put pressure on the District to reach a fair settlement. Members’ success in organizing around layoff impacts and effects negotiations last spring resulted in an agreement to extend laid off members’ benefits through the summer, as well as establishing other important recall rights (click here to download the agreement reached last June).
Preparation for the bargaining of our next contract will begin in the fall of 2012. Just as we did leading up to the 2008 contract negotiations, SDEA leadership will engage in extensive member outreach through our worksites to ensure that our 8,000+ members’ priorities drive every step of our bargaining process. To ensure that your voice is heard in upcoming negotiations, get involved in the union at your school site!