The Dublin Unified School District (DUSD) Board of Education and the Dublin Teachers Association (DTA) announced on Wednesday that they have reached a tentative agreement after thorough labor negotiations, which district officials say includes “significant” health and wellness benefit improvements.
Once ratified, the agreement will bring closure to current labor negotiations and in addition to a 2% ongoing salary schedule increase for all DTA members, will establish prep time for elementary teachers, improved health care benefits and a number of other items for a contract that will extend through the 2021-2024 school years.
“This last year has reminded all of us about the importance of having access to affordable healthcare. The board is a firm believer in supporting the health and wellness of our DUSD employees and we are excited that staff has found a way to fill this gap in our offering,” DUSD Board President Dan Cherrier said in a statement.
“DTA is excited to have reached an agreement for the next three-year contract,” added DTA President Robbie Kreitz. “We have made vigorous in-roads toward health benefits with 75% paid coverage for employees. In addition to health care, we have secured some long-standing side letters into permanent contract language. We are grateful to the commitment of all DTA members who were engaged in the process at every step.”
Key elements of the tentative agreement include district contribution of 75% of Kaiser Health Care single-party annual premium for members, 20.5% of Kaiser Health Care single-party annual premium as “Cash In Lieu” for members who do not take DUSD health care — guaranteeing cash in lieu payments will increase with Kaiser premiums — and additional bi-weekly prep period for elementary teachers of up to 90 total prep days.
Approved by the DUSD Board of Trustees during its June 22 meeting, the agreement now moves on to ratification by DTA members who will themselves review the efforts made by their negotiation team.
“We all owe the DTA and district bargaining teams a great deal of gratitude,” Interim Superintendent Daniel Moirao said. “Negotiations are never easy, but these team members were able to clear some major hurdles in a short period of time. As a result of their hard work, Dublin is an even more attractive location for educators, which makes the goal of providing all students with an exceptional educational experience easier to achieve.”
