ATA Weekly
April 14th, 2023
YOUR VOTE COUNTS
Ratification of Tentative Agreement
After negotiating for months, the ATA Bargaining Team has reached a tentative agreement and recommends that unit members vote YES. Now the rest is up to you, the membership. The vote on ratification of this agreement will be via electronic ballot from April 17th - April 21st.
Included within the same ballot will be voting on:
- ATA General Election
- Association Name Change
It's important for you to vote. Sites with at least 80% of members voting will receive breakfast items from ATA. To help us keep track of who voted, please take a screenshot of your receipt and show it or send it to your site rep(s). Site reps will help us calculate the results and let us know the percentage of unit members voting at your site. We appreciate your cooperation - unfortunately, our online platform is not set up to provide this data without us incurring a considerable cost.
EQUITY DAY GRIEVANCE RESOLVED
On April 7th, ATA and the District reached an agreement (see below) regarding the Equity Day grievance filed by ATA on December 2, 2022. ATA filed the grievance after AUSD docked the pay of several dozen ATA members for missing the PD scheduled on October 31, 2022. ATA’s reasoned that AUSD violated the CBA, Article X, Section 1.F which allows “the District to require verification of any absence of less than seven (7) days if the District has reason to believe that the purpose of the leave has been abused.” ATA argued that while the District does have the right to request verification in the form of a doctor’s note if it believes an individual has violated the use of sick leave, it does not have the right to treat a group of individuals, en masse, as if they violated this provision simply because they took their leave on a specific day. Nor does this provision give the District the right to dock their pay, again, en masse, without investigating each individual regarding their use of sick leave and coming to the determination that their individual use of sick leave had been abused.
Ultimately, the District agreed with ATA and it will be paying back the docked pay of those who were unable to provide a doctor’s note on October 31, 2022. The District has also agreed that it will no longer issue any blanket statements that not attending PDs without a doctor’s note will result in a dock of pay. For its part, ATA agreed that those who missed the Equity Day PD may still be required to make-up that day at a later time. ATA wishes to thank the District for coming to a reasonable resolution on this matter and for helping both parties avoid the expense and time of going to Arbitration.
Lastly, ATA would like to make it clear that if you miss a future PD, the District can still request that you provide a doctor’s note if it believes, given whatever evidence they might have of your individual sick leave use, that you abused your sick leave. ATA strongly encourages you to attend all PDs provided by the District. As was the case with the Equity Day PD, ATA plays an essential role in developing and coordinating the design and implementation of district-wide PD through participation in the Professional Collaborative Committee (PDC). Our own colleagues spend countless hours developing trainings and working to provide you with a unique and enjoyable PD experience full of essential information for all educators. We should all honor the work that has gone into these PD days by attending whenever possible.
Please reach out to us if you have any questions regarding this matter.
WHY I BELONG TO ATA
DON'T FORGET TO WEAR YOUR ATA BLUE ON TUESDAYS!
ATTACKS AND THREATS AGAINST UNIT MEMBERS
"Whenever a unit member is attacked, assaulted, physically threatened, or menaced the unit member will immediately report the incident to the principal or site administrator, who shall promptly report the matter to the police and to the District."
As you know, the pandemic has caused a rise in disruptive and violent behaviors by students. If a student attacks or threatens you, special ed or gen ed, you must inform your admin immediately and fill out a District Incident Report. Additionally, CTA recommends filing a police report. Filing a police report does not necessarily mean the student will be arrested, just that the behavior has been documented.
UNION STRONG
This group (and others like it) has spent a lot of time and money obtaining your phone numbers, email addresses, and home addresses in order to harass and coerce you into signing anti-union/anti-worker paperwork and membership opt-out forms under false pretenses. In fact, the Freedom Foundation has been known to lie about their identity while knocking on members’ doors claiming that they represent the union. Make no mistake about it, everything this group does is a targeted and direct attack against ATA (and our union siblings) designed to make our union weaker in order to make it easier to privatize our public schools.
If you have received any mailers, visitors at your home, or emails from these groups, please know your rights.
You have the right to be removed from their contact list. If you are contacted after requesting removal, you may report this illegal activity to us.
You have the right to ask the district to block their email addresses and to block them yourself. If this does not work, unsubscribe from the emails and mark them as junk/spam.
You have the right to request their ID if they approach you. A Union rep will always carry their identification (and, unless we tell you ahead of time, we will NEVER visit you at your home). Write down their information and report it to us.
You have the right to take a picture or record the conversation. Politely ask them if you may record the conversation for your protection. If they refuse, disengage conversation and take a picture if you feel safe to do so. If you are in a public place where there is no reasonable expectation of privacy, you do not need their permission to record.
At any time, if you feel scared or intimidated, ask the person to leave the premises immediately and call 911.
To be certain, these anti-union groups have suffered big setbacks on a national level and they are getting increasingly desperate. As their desperation grows, expect to see bigger attacks against our rights as workers, educators, and union members. Help us fight against these attacks by alerting us every time you have been contacted by these groups.
Let’s make our message to these groups that would seek to divide us clear. We’re sticking with our Union! We’re Union Strong!
CTA SUMMER INSTITUTE 2023
Themes thus far: "Bringing Back the Joy of Teaching" (IPD), and "Communications Cafe: Brewing Up Union Strong Communications." Complete programming will be available soon at cta.org/conferences.
LIMITED-TIME OPPORTUNITY: SWITCH COVERAGE WITH NO HEALTH QUESTIONS
Through April 30, 2023, CTA members covered by a different insurance carrier have a special opportunity to switch their coverage to CTA-endorsed Disability and Life insurance from Standard Insurance Company (The Standard) without answering health questions. Before applying, members should compare their current plan with the CTA-endorsed plans to understand how any differences may impact their personal situation.
Learn more about the benefits of choosing The Standard by viewing this webinar. Compare plans or learn how to switch coverage here.
For further details, including costs, exclusions, benefit waiting periods and any reductions or limitations and the terms under which the policy may be continued in force, contact Standard Insurance Company at 800-522-0406.
UPCOMING EVENTS
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
- ATA Happy Hour (4:00 pm, Clearman's Galley (The Boat) in San Gabriel)
April 25
- Board of Education (6 pm, Marengo West)
April 30
- ATA's 4th Annual Read Across America (11 am, Alhambra Park)
May 1
- Grievance (4:00 pm, ATA Office)
May 2
- ATA Board of Directors (4:00 pm, ATA Office)
May 9
- ATA Rep Council (4:00 pm, ATA Office)
- Board of Education (6 pm, Marengo West)
May 15
- ATA/CSEA/AMA Retirement Reception (4:00 pm, The Grapevine in San Gabriel)
May 23
- Board of Education (6 pm, Marengo West)
CONTACT US
Email: ataoffice3030@gmail.com
Website: www.alhambrateachers.org
Location: 3030 West Main Street, Alhambra, CA, USA
Phone: (626)289-1933
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlhambraTeachersAssociation/