|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Union tensions flared at a Livermore school board meeting this week, amid disagreement on the bargaining process between a classified union and the district.
Whereas Service Employees International Union Local 1021, the association representing child nutrition and maintenance workers at the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District, says it’s ready to discuss contract items, the district claims it cannot yet – legally.
The union must send a written statement to the district outlining all articles it wants to negotiate, which hasn’t been done yet for certain topics, according to LVJUSD Superintendent Torie Gibson. She said during the meeting Tuesday (Oct. 15) that any negotiation before that submission would violate the state’s public disclosure sunshine laws.
Union members, however, forged ahead with demands as well as accusations that the district is unwilling to negotiate.
“I was told that we’re the largest restaurant in town because we serve all these kids and I just have to say — think about if we were to go on strike,” said Janet Zimmerman, an SEIU member and child nutrition staffer at Christensen Middle School. “Because we want better benefits, better wages so we can be comfortable just like all the top paid people in the district. We’re not asking for much, just a little bit.”
At the Board of Education meeting, SEIU chapter president Kirsty Governor was the first member to take on the district.
They must consider raises for SEIU members, she said.
The top four highest paying positions in the district combine to make over a million dollars a year, Governor said. In comparison, some child nutrition assistants and custodians are making just over $20 an hour.
“Employees that you don’t have money for are just as important as the management that has already received the money,” she told the board.
Governor also claimed that the district has been closed-off to discussions with the union.
“We need to be able to negotiate on non-economic items and we have met our obligations to sunshine these articles,” Governor said. “These negotiations that are not happening and bargaining that is not happening in good faith is affecting our members and they deserve better.”
After her comment, the crowd erupted in applause.
SEIU secretary Sabrina Hankins was next at the podium, where she requested health insurance from the school district.
It’s been over 10 years since the district contributed to union members’ health insurance, she said. Meanwhile, cabinet executives have received raises.
According to the current contract, the district covers at least 20% of the union workers’ health care premiums — the exact percent depends on the number of hours they work per week.
“It’s appalling how we’re not getting what we need and the district is treating us this way when you guys have a lot of hardworking, dedicated employees that have given a lot of their time and energy for our kids, for all of us,” Hankins said. “I feel like we deserve more.”
Afterward, Zimmerman spoke to outdated equipment and poor working conditions.
There are missing knobs, leaky sinks and no one sharpening the kitchen knives, she said. Even box cutters are missing their safeties and employees get burnt through old pot holders.
“I work my butt off at a production kitchen, hundreds of meals a day. And I feel like I deserve more, so I can live in this town that I grew up in — I went to this school district,” Zimmerman said.
At the end of the meeting, board members Steven Drouin and Craig Bueno expressed confusion with the Governor’s claim of meeting sunshine requirements.
The union hasn’t met the legal threshold to begin the sunshine process, Gibson responded. It defined two monetary articles for negotiation, but it still needs to identify the two non-monetary articles it wants to negotiate and send those to the district in a written statement.
As soon as SEIU sends a message to the district identifying those two articles, she said the district can negotiate with SEIU.
“We’ll put it on the very next board packet and then the very next day we can start negotiating those items as well,” Gibson said.
Bueno double-checked with Gibson that the union hadn’t met the legal threshold.
Gibson confirmed, adding that the issue is currently in the hands of the union’s legal counsel.
“I’ve spoken with higher-ups in SEIU, so that we can find a common ground,” Gibson said. “That person and I decided we’d have our legal counsels talk and have them give us direction because we didn’t agree on the process. And we’re still waiting on hearing from the SEIU legal counsel at this time.”
Negotiations without that written declaration would violate the law, Gibson said. “Simple email, and we’re ready to go,” she added.
But the union’s push at the meeting worried Bueno, who said cohesion between the district and its employees is very important.
“It’s an indicator — being on the board for 10 years — when multiple people from any of the bargaining groups show up in the manner they did is concerning,” Bueno said. “I want to make sure we don’t do anything to compromise the relationship with the people that work here. And I think this sounds like it’s a misunderstanding. I’m hoping we can get it cleared up quickly so that we can move forward.”
