ATA WEEKLY
April 28th, 2023
WHY I BELONG TO ATA
WHO (We Honor Ours) AWARDS DINNER IN COMMERCE - CONGRATULATIONS TO ALANA AND DREW!
ATA MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
The application, which includes the selection criteria, is linked below. Please note a transcript is required; however, it may be a copy rather than an original. The ATA office must receive the application on Friday, May 12th, by 4:30 PM.
SERVICE INCREMENTS
Service increments (longevity) are earned via employment with any employee group (CSEA, ATA, and Management) in AUSD. Except for Psychologists who have their salary schedule, these increments are based on a percentage of Column V Step 12 of Salary Schedule "A".
With the recent two-year compression of the salary schedule, unit members with 16 years of service or over (in AUSD) will make more throughout their careers and retirement. The more service increments one obtains the greater one's lifetime earnings. Retirement benefits are also improved as they are calculated using this formula set by law:
service credit x age factor x final compensation = your retirement benefit
For more information on retirement benefits, visit STRS.
ASK ATA
My administrator informed me I must move classrooms for my new assignment next school year. Do I get compensated for this?
In 2016-17, the ATA Bargaining Team negotiated a .5% increase to the salary schedule to compensate for any relocation within one's site or to another site. This increase was provided to all unit members, regardless of whether a relocation occurred. Before this agreement, unit members were paid for up to three days (at the substitute rate) when a move was required. Embedding this increase within one's base salary improves our STRS DB (Defined Benefit) account versus our STRS DBS (Defined Benefit Supplement).
STRS DB
- Your Defined Benefit account guarantees you a steady source of income after retiring. The benefit requires five years of service credit and retirement eligibility. The benefit is based on a formula using age, service credit, and final compensation, not the balance of your account.
STRS DBS
- Your Defined Benefit Supplement account provides additional retirement income based on the amount in your account.
For more on STRS DBA vs. DBS, click here.
AUSD AND ATA JOINT STATEMENT - APRIL 28TH, 2023
WHAT ARE WEINGARTEN RIGHTS?
BY RICHA AMAR
One of a union representative’s most important duties is guarding against employer intimidation, particularly during disciplinary investigations, where the employer may attempt to coerce employees into making incriminating statements against themselves or their colleagues. For union-represented employees, one backstop against coercive investigatory interviews is Weingarten rights.
Named for a United States Supreme Court case, NLRB v. J. Weingarten, Inc., 420 U.S. 251 (1975), Weingarten rights have been extended to public employees under California’s labor relations statutes. Simply put, an employee has a right to request a union representative in an investigatory interview when the employee has a reasonable basis to believe that discipline may result from the meeting. The right to a union representative applies to investigatory questioning that is written as well as oral. Weingarten rights must be asserted by the employee — the employer has no obligation to notify employees of these rights, and employees may choose to represent themselves if they wish. Keep in mind that Weingarten rights only apply to investigatory meetings that might result in discipline of the employee. They do not apply to other types of meetings with the employer, such as a meeting where an employer is merely notifying the employee of a disciplinary decision that the employer already made.
Once the right is asserted, an employee is not entitled to their union representative of choice. The employer may proceed with the investigatory questioning as long as another union representative is available at the meeting time. But if an employee’s preferred union representative is available, the employer may not insist upon a different representative.
Additionally, the union representative has the right to sufficient information about the nature of the employee’s alleged wrongdoing before an investigatory interview takes place in order to allow for meaningful representation.
The union representative plays an important role as a witness and advisor in connection with the investigatory interview. While the union representative cannot interfere with the employer’s civil questioning of an employee, the union representative can ask clarifying questions, take notes, assist the employee in providing additional information, and provide moral support.
Are employees’ communications with their union reps confidential?
A union representative often will privately “caucus” with an employee before or even during an investigatory interview. An employee might wonder if these private representational conversations are truly confidential or whether an employer can pry into them.
Fortunately, they are confidential. Federal courts, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), and the California Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) have long recognized the strong privacy interests in communications between union representatives and union members. Accordingly, they have found that employers who seek disclosure of the substance of conversations between employees and their union representatives “manifestly restrain employees in their willingness to candidly discuss” employment matters with their union, inhibit the union from gathering necessary information from employees, and “cast a chilling effect” over all employees and union representatives who seek to candidly discuss employment matters.
Richa Amar is a CTA Staff Attorney.
2023 Summer Institute
2023 Special Education Conference
CTA’s newest conference features workshops geared for all educators working with students with IEPs! Join us for a robust program that dives into not only classroom pedagogy, but specific strategies for collaboration, communication, and best practices.
October 6-8, 2023
Garden Grove
2023 LGBTQ+ Issues Conference
The LGBTQ+ Issues Conference addresses LGBTQ+ issues involving educators, students and the community, like LGBTQ+ history and curriculum, representation, gender and gender identity, non-binary and trans-identified students, creating safe and brave classrooms and schools, lesson plans, GSAs, being a better ally to LGBTQ+ students and educators, intersectionality and more. #CTALGBTQ
October 27-29, 2023
Location TBD
Fremont Place It! Workshop Feedback
Last month, community members participated in a Place It! workshop to discuss and provide solutions to address pedestrian safety and environment impacts on community health near Fremont Elementary School. This community building workshop, facilitated by artist and urban planner James Rojas, creates opportunities for residents to collaborate on identifying specific changes that would promote safer streets and a healthier environment. Participants were able to discuss and propose improvements on the 5 points of interest that residents identified during the community walking tour. To read the full report, click here.
To access the survey, click here.
UPCOMING EVENTS
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
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)
- CTE Wood Banquet (5:30 pm, MKHS)
May 3
- District Service Recognition (3:45 pm, Alhambra Park)
May 5
- ALA Scholarship Awards Dinner & Dance
May 9
- ATA Rep Council (4:00 pm, ATA Office)
- Board of Education (6 pm, Marengo West)
May 11
- Auto Banquet (5:30 pm, MKHS)
May 15
- ATA/CSEA/AMA Retirement Reception (4:00 pm, The Grapevine in San Gabriel)
May 23
- Board of Education (6 pm, Marengo West)
July 23 - July 27
- CTA Summer InstituteCONTACT 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/