CUEA Members Will Walk Picket Lines on Thursday

The CUEA says it will meet with district officials Thursday, but its members will also walk the picket lines that day. I'm hearing the strike could be as short as one day but was officially told it could be "indefinitely."

This on the heels from two letters from Capistrano Unified School District, saying district officials would meet, but that the union was essentially breaking labor laws.

Download CUSD Sets Date to Return to the Bargaining Table

Download Letter to Christine Balentine 04 20 2010

This from Capistrano Unified Education Association:

Capistrano School Board Rejects Teachers’ Proposal

Ambiguous offer to negotiate begins with veiled threat

ALISO VIEJO – “If you’re really serious about bargaining, you don’t start out by threatening legal action. Once again the Capistrano Board of Education is attempting to equivocate and obfuscate instead of negotiate,” said CUEA President Vicki Soderberg.

“Despite the board’s vague offer to commence negotiations ‘regarding various issues,’ they are flatly rejecting to bargain CUEA’s specific, unambiguous proposal. We clearly gave them a chance to avert

a strike and their refusal leaves teachers no choice. CUEA members will walk the picket lines beginning, Thursday, April 22. At the same time, our bargaining team will accept the board’s invitation to talk on Thursday. If we determine that they are serious about reaching a settlement, teachers and students can be back in the schools Friday. It’s up to the board to prove they’re serious about reaching a settlement.”

In a formal request delivered early Monday, April 19, giving the Capistrano board a 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, April 20 deadline to respond, CUEA asked the board to come back to the bargaining table to negotiate based on the following specific proposals:

1. The board will reverse the permanent nature of salary and benefits cuts they imposed March 31 by making them temporary;
2. There will be no increase in class size;
3. The board will restore salary, unpaid work days, and benefits cuts if unforeseen funds are received;
4. The board will implement already agreed to contract language that deals with working conditions, transfer of teachers, and leaves as stipulated to in the fact finding hearing.

“Where in the board’s response is the mention of making the permanent cuts temporary and of being willing to enter into the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) the board has informally offered in public throughout the last two weeks? Where is a clear, unambiguous offer to restore the cuts if unforeseen funds become available? The teachers’ proposal was explicit. Given the board’s history of duplicitous behavior, they have to make unequivocally clear that they want to reach a settlement. Teachers are far beyond ‘sham bargaining’ cloaked in vague, confusing, and ambiguous promises,” said Soderberg.

“The board’s rejection of our clear proposal and their continued ambiguity has put us where we never wanted to be. It is unfortunate that the board wants chaos instead of clear communication. It has never been the teachers’ goal to strike, but if it takes walking the picket line to bring the board to a place of clarity and mutual respect, then teachers have no choice. We must stand firm for our profession, for our students, and for the long-term stability of the district.”

Comments

[momma]

My heart is broken...I cannot believe it has come to this.

[support our teachers]

Stand strong teachers we are behind you. This BOT is insane. Hpoefully it won't last long.

[Confused]

Why strike on Thursday if you have intentions to meet with the board on the same day?

[Reformers......HAH!]

make no bones about it.....a small number of misguided union leaders sat down tonight to set a strike date. Not 2200 teachers. Every teacher I spoke with today and tonight was hopeful both sides would sit down this week and work things out

union leaders have been itching to strike

[love2teach]

Confused, I'm also confused.

Was one day of talks (without a strike) to see what could possibly transpire - not an option?

[republican]

So that the board finally knows that the teachers aren't going to take the crap the board is pushing anymore

[momma]

CUEA/CUSD talks will take place the same day as the first day of the strike. The board must understand that their sham offers are not going to work. They need to know that teachers are serious and are tired of the bulls**t. Be honest, sit down, negotiate fairly...it is not that hard.

[friend]

87% of teachers gave the leaders of CUEA the right to determine whether a stike is necessary. It's called a mandate.

[don't do it!]

You guys are shootin' yourselves in the foot! Do NOT let Soderberg take you down this path, PLEASE!

You'll be viewed by the public at large as the bad guy - and there's far too many teachers of high integrity to take the rap.

BREAK FREE! The union - in TIME - will not be there to protect you...

[CUSD Grad, Parent, Teacher, Donor and Voter in Support of Public Education]

We are not going to be backed into a corner and let your children's education go up to a bad board's bogus plan, HAH. You'll thank us someday. And teachers are patient.