President’s Report to Rep Council

March 1, 2010

We are in a period of crisis – this is a very difficult time, with statewide budget cuts, district cuts to essential programs and services, 121 RIF notices to our members and an unknown (as yet) number of non-reelections. If ever there was a time that each of us needed to focus on building our collective strength and will, this is it!

March 4

This Statewide Day of Action to Defend Public Education is shaping up to be huge. I can only hope that we’ll look back in 20 years and realize that this was a turning point in the fight for full funding and against wholesale privatization of public education and other essential social services.  We need each and every one of you to be actively organizing your site to participate – and that means speaking to every member and encouraging them to be involved!

We have been working with the district on several aspects of March 4:

• Informational picketing from 7:30 to the start of school: do not let your principal tell you that you have to be in class before the start of the school day! All site administrators have been informed that this time will be reserved for informational picketing to parents and the community.

• District-wide fire/disaster drill at 9:15: this will officially be a fire drill, but we’re all clear, including the district, that it’s symbolic of the state financial disaster. Because of Ed Code, they need to be sure everyone follows procedure for the drill itself. What does this mean? Students and teachers can carry signs to the drill, and once it is over, go on walking field trips in the neighborhood (follow the usual procedure) or around the school perimeter.

• Personal Leave: If you are taking a personal day, you should still plan to be at your school site at 7:30 for picketing and for the 9:15 fire drill. From the district’s guidelines for March 4: What is OUSD’s position on personal leave for March 4^th demonstrations?

Requests for leave will be treated according to the normal procedures – no special dispensation will be granted. If a teacher complies with protocol and presents written, advanced notice of a leave request, this request can be granted at the site administrator’s discretion. As always, the site administrator reserves the right to deny requests if he or she determines that the request will be disruptive to the normal functioning of the school.

• Curriculum: Check the OEA website (www.oaklandea.org) or the district’s page for March 4 (www.ousd.k12.ca.us/March4lessonplans) for some suggested curriculum. Use what works for you or develop your own. Thanks to Craig Gordon and Steve Miller for their suggestions!
• Press Conference: After the Ogawa Plaza rally, OUSD has called a press conference at the State Building. It will include all labor unions, including OEA. This is a day we are speaking out together against the state budget cuts, as other locals will do throughout the state; at the same time, we will be clear that our contract struggle with the district is ongoing and very much a part of the fight for funding priorities.

March 4 will be a date to gauge our strength in preparation for a one-day strike. We need everyone out on the informational picket lines, and everyone at the disaster drill!

HBIC (Health Benefits Improvement Committee)

Thanks to your support and our hard work over the past three years, the HBIC has grown stronger and more united. HBIC’s proposal asked for fully covered benefits for active members and adjusting retiree benefits to be eligible for active rates upon retirement. The district countered with a proposal to maintain current contract language for this year (2009-2010) and next (2010-2011), with the intent of not passing on any increases in premiums to OEA members for that year. In 2011-2012, we would again bargain through HBIC for benefits. Labor’s response to OUSD at our February 25 meeting was that we are interested, but that we will wait for the district to clarify their language, at which point we will take the proposal to our memberships. This is a very important development, and shows the strength of working together with the other unions! At the same time, we are aware that any gains for labor in the area of health benefits will encourage the district to push back on compensation and class size. We need to stay firm that it’s a matter of priorities!

Labor Coalition

We have been working with the Labor Coalition in other arenas as well. We meet with Tony Smith monthly as a group, and out of this came our collaboration as labor on a Powerpoint presentation focused on where we see money that has been misallocated and should be redirected. We presented this Powerpoint to the Finance Committee of the School Board on February 10, and have since met with Vernon Hal (Chief Financial Officer) to go over each specific recommendation. We will then give the presentation to the full Board of Education on March 10.

RIFs

On Friday, February 26, we were notified by Labor Relations that 121 of our certificated members will receive RIF (layoff) notices. This includes 38 Adult Ed teachers, two counselors, and 81 classroom teachers. You will hear more specifics during the Executive Directors’ report. We have already been in contact with our lawyers and CTA is sending additional support; be assured that we will do everything possible to protect our members’ rights. (NB: We have since been informed that the 38 Adult Ed teachers are hourly employees, not OEA contracted teachers.)

Strike Date

As momentum gathers for the March 4 Statewide Day of Action to Defend Public Education, OEA can be proud that we have been in the forefront of demanding that our district as well as the state of California reframe their priorities. We have said repeatedly that the money is there, it’s a question of priorities. We went out on a limb two years ago when we first started negotiating a new contract by demanding a 20% raise, publicizing that the district had received 21% in COLA during the six years under state administration. Last week in fact-finding we showed that although we have adjusted our demands for compensation, 20% would simply bring us to the median of surrounding districts, instead of the very bottom, where we now are. Clearly we are justified in our demands. And yet, all around us districts are making cuts, negotiating furlough days, increasing class size, cutting health care benefits. Many of our own members are confused, wondering how we can continue to hold to our demands when California is in a state of disaster.

At our January 20 membership meeting, 94% of those present authorized the Executive Board or the Rep Council to call actions up to and including a one-day strike. At our February 17 Executive Board meeting, after much discussion, the Executive Board voted to call a one-day strike on March 24.

Among the many factors we need to consider:

• With March 24 only 3 weeks away, every site needs to get a definite count of where members stand;
• We need to increase our outreach to parents to win their support;
• In the event the fact-finding panel comes back with a settlement proposal, we will need to be prepared to mobilize our members on short notice.

We are in difficult, challenging, uncharted conditions. This is a crisis, folks! It can’t be business as usual! It will be up to each and every one of us to play a role in making sure that our hard work of the last few years is successful. We have stood firm for creating successful teaching and learning conditions, for maintaining small class sizes, for raising our salaries and keeping good health benefits. We have fought to maintain an Adult Ed program, and to prevent the district from demanding that our Early Childhood teachers work on Saturdays. At the same time we need to realize that the entire state is in a crisis situation, and we will have to make some compromises as we continue to negotiate. Our brothers and sisters throughout the state are facing similar circumstances, and many have already accepted furlough days, class size increases, and other cuts. We have been bold in our demands, and continue to be bold in fighting for what we know is right. But without the support of the vast majority of our membership, our very righteous demands have little chance of being won. It is time to step up the pressure!

In unity,

Betty