ADMINISTRATORS’ UNION BARGAINING BULLETIN: Tentative Agreements Reached

From he THE AALA UPDATE Week of September 26, 2011 | http://bit.ly/pHLZkq

On Tuesday morning, AALA sent an e-mail blast to members announcing the exciting news that we have reached tentative agreements with the District regarding the AALA/LAUSD Successor Agreement,2011-2014, and Phase II of the Educator Growth and Development Program, 2011-2012 (“Pilot Program”). Here are the details:

AALA/LAUSD Successor Agreement, 2011-2014: AALA and the District submitted initial bargaining proposals regarding the AALA contract to the Board of Education early on in the 2010-2011 school year. We commenced bargaining, but because of the District’s financial crisis, we mutually agreed to focus our attention on the 2011-2012 Jobs Restoration Agreement, which AALA members ratified in May 2011. We subsequently postponed bargaining on the AALA/LAUSD Successor Agreement, 2011- 2012, in order to address Phase II of the Educator Growth and Development Program, 2011-2012 (“Pilot Program”).

Phase II and PERB Complaint: (See article on page 3 for more information.) In May 2011, AALA filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) because the District refused to bargain in good faith on Phase II, which addresses the evaluation of our members, a mandatory subject of collective bargaining. The District had begun implementation of Phase II without negotiations, insisting that since Phase II is a voluntary pilot program with “no stakes,” they did not have to bargain with us.

Nevertheless, AALA pushed the District to negotiate a one-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Phase II. Our team emphasized the fact that administrators’ workload is overwhelming, and this program will succeed only if it is do-able. Embedded in the MOU is the District’s commitment to bargain in good faith on Phase III, which may change the evaluation process for all administrators Districtwide and will, most assuredly, be high stakes.

Tentative Agreements and Ratification: After negotiating throughout the summer, AALA’s bargaining team reached tentative agreements with the District on Monday, September 19, 2011, at 9:00 p.m., on the Phase II MOU and the AALA/LAUSD Successor Agreement, 2011-2014. Both agreements are subject to ratification by the AALA membership, which will be conducted online between Wednesday, September 28, 2011, and Tuesday, October 4, 2011. Ratification requires 50% plus one of those voting for each respective agreement to be approved. Results will be e-mailed to members on Wednesday, October 5, 2011, and will appear in the Update of October 10, 2011. If the Phase II MOU is ratified by AALA members and it is approved by the Board of Education, we will withdraw our PERB complaint.

The following are some highlights of each of the tentative agreements:

AALA/LAUSD Successor Agreement, 2011-2014

• Seven additional articles of the AALA-District Contract will now be subject to the grievance procedure, for a total of 12 articles.

• When District resources permit, AALA and the District will negotiate salary increases, including the possibility of Step 6 and/or additional career increments on the Master Salary Table.

• The District will respond to AALA’s requests for information within forty-eight hours, a substantial improvement over the current response time.

• An employee who is terminated from an A Basis assignment may defer the lump-sum payment of his/her accumulated vacation until retirement if s/he chooses to do so. Negotiations regarding the Successor Agreement also yielded an assurance from the Superintendent that Administrative Regulations 4213 and 4214 will be updated and improved with input from AALA. Upon completion of three years of administrative experience, an AALA member assigned via AR 4213 or 4214 will be informed in a timely manner that they have been regularized.

Phase II of the Educator Growth and Development Program, 2011-2012 (“Pilot Program”)

• The tentative agreement is for one year only and will sunset June 30, 2012.

• Because this agreement is a Memorandum of Understanding, AALA’s current contract languagewill remain intact during the course of the “Pilot Program.”

• Participating site administrators were originally to receive a stipend of $1,500. AALA negotiated an increase in the stipend of $1,000 per person, for a total of $2,500 each.

• The confidentiality of individual AALA participants’ responses on Phase II surveys will allow for candid assessments of and recommendations regarding Phase II and III program implementation.

• AALA participants retain the right to withdraw from the Pilot Program at any time at their personal discretion without detriment or retaliation. Should they withdraw, their program-related pay will be adjusted on a pro rata basis.

• The Second Observer will conduct conferences with and observations of participating teachers only in the presence of the site administrator. The principal will determine if a third observation will take place.

• The District will share with AALA program data, survey results, assessments and information in a timely fashion regarding Phase II.

• A single District contact in a line position will meet every month with AALA leadership to address concerns and issues related to Phase II.

• AALA retains the right to survey our own members about any aspect of Phase II.

• The District and AALA will negotiate in good faith regarding any potential changes in the evaluation of AALA members prior to implementation of Phase III (2012-2013). These negotiations will commence no later than November 1, 2011. “Good faith” negotiations may include impasse, mediation and fact finding.

• If AALA members ratify this agreement and the Board of Education approves it, AALA’s unfair labor practice complaint against the District (PERB case) will be withdrawn.

We wish to thank AALA’s bargaining team for their hard work over many months. Team members include Dr. Judith Perez, Dan Isaacs, Dr. Angel Barrett, Marsha Oh-Bilodeau and Margaret Prietto. Should you have any questions regarding either tentative agreement, please contact Dr. Judith Perez or Dan Isaacs in the AALA office at 213.484.2226.