Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/189657
Advocacy Bargaining Orange County: Chapters profit in good times and bad B Y B I L L G U Y A N D D AV E B R O W N D U R I N G T H E D O U B L E - D I G I T salary hikes dinate bargaining that would place those of the early 2000s and the drastic cuts dollars on salary schedules," says Kendall after the economic collapse of 2008, Vaught, Los Alamitos educator and CTA local CTA chapters throughout Orange Board member, an active participant in the County profited from participating in the OC meetings. The vast majority of OC work of active, successful Coordinated chapters negotiated double-digit raises Bargaining Councils (CBCs). that year, when "It's Double Digit Time!" Reaching parity in local chapter conbuttons were common. tract negotiations is the goal when chapter "During the last five years or so of the presidents, bargaining chairs and team recent fiscal crisis, the coordinated CBC members, CTA Negotiaeffort among Orange tions and Organizational County chapters focused We know that on maintaining the eduDevelopment specialists, and primary contact staff superintendents cators' daily rate of pay meet. The meetings occur Now, talk to each whenever possible.more in January, May and we're aiming for a other and coordinated strategy, August, timed around the governor's initial budget compare notes taking a leadership role in proposal, the May revise on bargaining, the implementation of the and the end of summer Local Control Funding so it only makes Formula [LCFF] and budget adoption each year. sense that we Common Core curricu"We know that superdo the same. lum," says Michael Stone, intendents talk to each Capistrano teacher and other and compare notes CTA Board member. ARMON AKERBOOM on bargaining, so it only "Coordinating Barmakes sense that we do gaining Council has been the same," says Armon Akerboom, Garden an invaluable source of support. From Grove Education Association bargaining informative state budget presentations to chair. "Sometimes another local will charts comparing local district settlements, experience something for the first time and it would have been a much more difficult provide a heads-up to other members of time than it already was without our CBC the council." meetings," says T.J. Prendergast, president "If you go back to 2000-01, when the of the Tustin Educators Association. state was flush with funding and Gov. Gray Geography favors good participation Davis repaid schools for deficits from from many chapters that represent CTA statutory COLAs in the late 1990s, CBCs members in the county's 28 closely clusspearheaded concerted efforts to coortered school districts. 36 Educator 10 Oct 2013 v2.1 int.indd 36 At a typical meeting, CTA Board members and staff provide an update of the current status of the state budget, followed by a Q&A and bargaining status reports from participating chapters. Then participants engage in facilitated dialogue to elicit a group consensus about which common goals can serve as guidelines for bargaining by individual chapters. "Time is reserved at CBCs to ask questions specific to our local's circumstances, allowing us to fact-check information coming from the districts," says Anaheim Secondary Teachers Association President Joanne Fawley. "The knowledge CTA Negotiations and Organizational Development specialists share is crucial to our success." As California schools face implementation of the LCFF and the Common Core State Standards, Orange County's CBC conversations revolve around such topics as the right of chapters under California's Educational Employment Relations Act to consult with districts about issues of curriculum and instruction, how Common Core funding will be used for staff development to help educators meet the new guidelines, and how new LCFF funding for students of greatest need can be most effectively used to improve the instructional environment for students and educators. O C T O B E R 2013 10/7/13 9:39 PM