Good Afternoon CSEA Members,
Today CSEA met with PYLUSD to negotiate a new 3-year contract. As a remainder, CSEA members have been working without a contract since July 1, 2019. Today was the 24th time the parties met for negotiations over a new contract. The main item that remains to be outstanding is wages. CSEA has consistently asked for a unit wide salary increase for all our members. Our proposals regarding salary increases have been fair and they are on par with what like size school districts in our geographic area have provided their employees in relation to compensation recently. Unfortunately, PYLUSD has said no to all of CSEA’s salary increase proposals and in effect are denying our members a wage increase for the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years. At today’s negotiation session, PYLUSD proposed to provide a very select few unit members a wage increase by way of reorganizing one department. The reorganization proposal also included the elimination and the reduction of work calendar for certain vacant positions. In response to this proposal, CSEA explained to PYLUSD that a department reorganization is something should be bargained outside of contract negotiations and that our demands for compensation, in regard to our contract negotiations, were that all unit members receive a fair and equitable wage increase. After PYLUSDstated that wasn’t something it was going to do, CSEA was forced to declare impasse as the parties are clearly at a stalemate when it comes to negotiating wages. CSEA is hopeful the intervention a state mediator will assist the parties in making some progress in wage negotiations as we move foward.
CSEA’s declaration of impasse is in the process of being sent to the state for certification. We expect to hear a response from the state in the coming days and are hopeful we can return to the bargainable table with a state mediator soon. We will keep you informed of when we get a mediation date scheduled. For those members that would like more information as to what the impasse process entails, please go to our Chapter website as information is available.
Our negotiations team is thankful for all support we continue to receive from our membership. Know that we will continue to fight to ensure PYLUSD displays that its value you as employees, especially considering the work you all are doing in these most uncertain and trying times.
In Unity,
Job Suarez
CSEA Placentia-Yorba Linda 293 President
