Hello Delta Valley Chapter 821 Members,

Your CSEA bargaining team scored a major victory when they secured a new term for our collective bargaining agreement (CBA) beginning retroactively on July 1st, 2022 and going through June 30th, 2025 that locks in our contractual rights and protections. The threat of working without a contract under a state-imposed trusteeship at SUSD without a contract would leave our members at greater risk of exposure to cuts that could impact our wages, hours and working conditions, which is why we worked quickly to negotiate this contract.

Now that we have secured a new term, all the articles in the contract are subject to binding arbitration by the CBA’s grievance procedure and provide us with an enforceable written agreement recognized by the Educational Employment Relations Act. This is crucial to help protect the paychecks and jobs of Chapter 821 members.

As part of the new contract, the team and the district agreed to make no changes from our previous contract except as required by law for following articles:

• Article II: Evaluation and Probationary Period/Personnel File
• Article III: Dues and Service Fees
• Article XI: Holidays - added Juneteenth to contract and added language concerning the leap year floating holiday to read whose contract year is 260 or above days per year.
• Article XIV: Layoff and Reemployment

The articles from our previous agreement that remain “status quo” (meaning no change) include:

• Overtime
• Subcontracting Protections
• Negotiation Release time
• Reclassification
• Sick Leave Doctor’s note 
• Contracting out during “emergency situations” 
• Bereavement Leaves 
• President release time 
• Jury Duty - proof of service

This new successor agreement officially closes negotiations for the 2022-2023 fiscal year. We can return to the negotiating table for salary & benefits plus five additional articles in the 2023-2024 school year and for salary & benefits in the 2024-2025 school year.

In addition to locking in our rights and protections with the new CBA, it was important for the bargaining team to secure economic improvements while we still could. We were successful in securing three other agreements to put additional dollars into the pockets of bargaining unit members and an additional agreement that will add five new members to the bargaining unit.

We will vote to ratify the following four agreements on June 28, 2023 at the River Delta Field Office:

1. Transfer of Bilingual Evaluation Assistants from 318 to 821 MOU

   • This agreement will transfer five (5) Chapter 318 members from the Bilingual Evaluation Assistant job classification into the Chapter 821 Translator/Interpreter Specialist job classification.
      

2. I.S. Department Partial Reorganization MOU

   • This agreement will result in three (3) members from the I.S. department moving from their classification as Database Applications Analyst (range 60) to Database Administrator (range 70).
      

3. Minimum Wage Compression Agreement

   • This agreement will grant an ongoing salary increase to the lowest paid members of the bargaining unit who have seen their earned raises erased relative to the increasing minimum wage. Effective July 1, 2023, members in the following classifications would see their salary adjusted as follows:

   Job Classification	New Range	A	B	C	D	E
   Noon Duty Assistant Food Service Assistant 1 Office Assistant Print Services Technician	28	$16.27	$17.10	$17.92	$18.84	$19.78
   Reader	29	$16.68	$17.50	$18.39	$19.29	$20.27
   Food Service Assistant 2 Senior Office Assistant	30	$17.10	$17.92	$18.84	$19.78	$20.77
   Food Service Assistant 3	32	$17.92	$18.84	$19.78	$20.77	$21.81
   Lead Food Service 1	34	$18.84	$19.78	$20.77	$21.81	$22.89

    
   • The members in the affected classifications have spent years missing out on step increases due to the minimum wage increases. This agreement would guarantee step increases for them again.
      
   • The minimum wage increases also meant some members were getting paid the same amount as a higher classification (i.e., food service 1 have been paid the same as food service 2). This agreement assures members in the impacted classifications are paid appropriately.
      

4. Health & Welfare UPC Settlement

   • This agreement would settle the health & welfare unfair practice charge CSEA filed against the district in January. It would provide the following economic benefits:

     1. 4% bonus for the whole unit.
         
     2. Additional $600 annually on the H&W Benefit Cap with a $350 retro payment.
         
     3. “Me Too” clause would require the district to provide the same economic increase given to other bargaining units in 2022-2023.
         
     4. Improved contract language for Article 8 which clarifies the application process & requirements for reclassification and eliminates the two year blackout period for denials based on clerical reasons.
         
     5. Improved contract language for Article 10 requires the district to negotiate any changes to Health & Welfare benefits.
         
     6. Removes cash in lieu for new hires so bargaining unit members can shop for better plans to keep rates down. No current members will be affected.

Quick action was critical to securing these agreements. With the district close to onboarding a new superintendent and vacancies remaining for the key cabinet positions of chief business officer and assistant superintendent of human resources, it would likely be months before we could return to the table and negotiate.

These agreements are our last chance for additional dollars in 2022-2023.

Your bargaining team recommends a YES vote.

On Tuesday, June 27, 2023, a special ZOOM informational meeting will be held at 5pm to review the agreements and answer any questions you may have.

On Wednesday, June 28, 2023, at the River Delta Field Office, all Chapter 821 members will have an opportunity to cast their ballot on each of the four agreements identified above. Details below:

If you have any questions, please reach out to your bargaining team members or your Chapter Administrator Rosemarie Lopes-Horn at delta821administrator@csea.com.