November 22 is the last day to register! If you are not registered yet, you can register online today
Why wait? There are lots of ways to vote early!
What’s In Your Contract?
Article 5 is where wages and benefits live in our contract, except for leaves (in articles 12 and 13).5.0 details the negotiated raises for the current term of the contract: 5% on July 1, 2017; 4% on July 1, 2018; 3% on July 1, 2019. Together with the parcel tax salary adjustment (more on that at our chapter meeting next week), our members will see a 15.875% increase over the three years of the contract – over 16% when you consider compound interest!
5.0.1 details the lump sum payment our members received on ratification of the contract in 2017. We negotiated a fixed-dollar lump sum payment because it provides extra benefit to our lowest-paid members, where percentage salary adjustments benefit our highest-paid members the most. It’s important that we make sure everyone gets a fair shake at affording life in the Bay Area.
5.02 details some salary adjustments for classes that have no incumbents, or did not for many years – these classes had fallen behind everyone else’s schedule, so when we hired a new shade and drapery worker the starting pay was only $17/hr.
COMMITTEE ALERT! There’s a committee in 5.0.2.4 that will start meeting soon to work on wages and hours for SNS workers. If you’re interesting in being involved, please contact Jesse Tangk so we can include you. We want lots of member representation on this committee.
5.1 Longevity Premium
To thank our most experienced members for sticking around, we have longevity premiums for members that have worked at least 10 or 15 years. At 10 years, it’s a 30 cent per hour premium, and at 15 years it’s 60 cents (up from a previous 40 cent premium). That works out to $24 or $48 per paycheck if you work full time.
New in this contract cycle, you don’t have to work a minimum schedule to qualify and previous city service counts for the 15 year level (it used to only count for the 10 year level).
Check your pay stub! If you have worked at least 10 years and are not currently receiving longevity pay, please let us know right away. The computer doesn’t always automatically set it up, so we need you to keep an eye out and report if you have a problem.
Next week we’ll look at 5.2 retirement, 5.3 health, and 5.4 dental (we get a lot of questions about these, so send me your questions and I’ll cover them in the explainer!)
“Upon ratification… the District and Union shall cause this contract to be translated into Spanish and Chinese.”It’s important that all of our members can read and use their contract. Because so many of our members speak and read languages other than English at home, the union and the district should provide translated versions of the contract for easier understanding. As a union, we have also discussed adding a tagalog translation to the contract.
Unfortunately, because of the cost, we have not distributed a properly translated contract since 2013. This is where we need your help: I know we have many bilingual members who can assist with translation, and we can pay for your time to do so. If you are able to help and work some extra hours, please contact Jesse Tangk, Tracy Brown, or Ken Tsui.
Article 4.2 specifies that when we file grievances or lawsuits, we do so with the English-language version of the contract.
Articles 4.3 and 4.4 cover distribution of the contract. The contract is to be posted online (see draft here) and hand delivered or sent through school mail to all members. A copy of the contract is also provided to all principals, site administrators, and new hires.
We are currently waiting to resolve a couple of changes in Articles 8 and 9 based on new state laws, and the final calculation of the Prop G salary supplement, before we send the current contract to the printers.
Next week we’ll start in on Article 5 – Compensation and Benefits. It’s the biggest article of the contract, so I’ll deal with it in pieces.
“No employee shall be discriminated against because of… non‐merit/non‐job related factors.”That’s the basis of the nondiscrimination language, which is supported by Board Policy 4030. Several specific categories of prohibited discrimination are listed, and protection from sexual harassment is specifically called out.
If you believe you are being mistreated on the basis of non-job-related factors, including protected category discrimination, you may report to:
- the employee’s immediate supervisor;
- the District’s Human Resources Department (Executive Director of Talent Management or Chief Administrative Officer);
- the District’s Labor Relations Department (Senior Labor Relations Representative or Chief of Labor Relations);or
- the District’s Office of Equity (Director).
In general, these reports take the form of a Uniform Complaint. A uniform complaint triggers an investigation, and the District is bound to provide a report of findings and action within 20 business days.
If the complaint is specifically about discrimination in hiring or firing, it should be instead reported to the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing and the City’s Office of Equal Employment Opportunity.
You are protected by contract, policy, and law from retaliation for filing a complaint of discrimination, and the union and the District are bound to strict confidence in handling the complaint, which means no unnecessary sharing of information in the course of investigation. However, you should be aware that the investigation will include interviews with those against whom you make allegations.
If you have a fear of retaliation or an employment-related discrimination concern, please contact a steward for assistance so we can ensure all of your rights are protected.
If you have been assaulted or threatened, you have additional protections and options under contract Article 24.
It’s important for all of us to keep in touch, so we can stick together and help out in one another’s work. To help with that, we’ve identified some worksite leaders that have shown a willingness to stand up for their coworkers.
We want you to stand up too! Here’s what we’re asking for:
- Make sure everyone at your worksite has the latest union news! Print out the newsletter and put it on our bulletin board; talk to your coworkers to see if they’re getting the emails.
- Call a steward if anyone needs help! Stewards usually know just who to call to fix a problem, and we’re great at making sure small issues don’t get big unnecessarily.
- Keep stewards informed of what’s important at your site! When we meet with the District, we need to know what’s most important to members so we can work together to make a safe, healthy environment for our kids.
- Join our monthly leaders call! Every second Wednesday at 4pm, we’ll have a short check-in call so we can all be on the same page.
Stand with your fellow members to make better schools. Together we win.
Now that everyone is back to school, it’s time for the annual reminder that you should never give up your lunch or break. Taking time to rest and care for yourself is an important part of staying healthy.
For every four hours you work, you are entitled to a 15 minute paid rest break. Interruptions cost the employer 15 minutes, so if your rest break is interrupted by a supervisor directing you to perform work the timer starts over.
For shifts 6 hours or longer, you are entitled to a 30 minute or 1 hour duty-free lunch. Unless your supervisor presents an actual business need for your lunch to be a specific length, it is up to your discretion to schedule it.
Interruptions to lunch that cause you to perform work cost the employer no less than 15 minutes.
You may not schedule your lunch at the very beginning or end of your shift, causing you to arrive late or leave early. You may leave campus during your unpaid, duty-free lunch period: the employer is not allowed to control your location during lunch. If the employer controls your location for any reason, you are not at lunch and must be paid for your time.
References:
- Your SEIU Contract – Article 5.9, duty free lunch
- SFUSD Rest and Lunch Policy
- California Department of Labor – IWC Order 4
- California Department of Labor – Meal Periods Advice
Pretty soon, you will start hearing from the Freedom Foundation and other political groups that want to destroy unions. They’ll pretend to be friendly, just suggesting a way to “give yourself a raise” by canceling your union membership.
Don’t buy the hype – the only reason we are able to have power to win raises and better working conditions is because of your membership.
When we stand together, we win
What have you done for us lately, though? I can hear the question as I write this.
Simple: SEIU at SFUSD has won raises every year since 2013. Our bargaining team has made huge gains in work rules to make sure we’re treated fairly and respected at work. We have fired harassing bosses, expanded important programs, and saved the jobs of workers who were unfairly targeted.
Tell the Union Busters to Find Another Line of Work
We don’t need people harassing our members at work and at home to try to break up the union. We need to tell those union busters to take a hike so we can get back to work building great public schools for the children of San Francisco. If you get a call or a visit from the union busters, tell them to get a real job and to leave you alone!
San Francisco is a union town!
 Social CommitteeLet’s have some fun! Help plan events where our members can gather and enjoy themselves!I want to help plan events! |  Uniform CommitteeYou have to wear it, you should get a say in what it looks like, how it feels, and that it protects you well. I want a say in my uniforms! |
 Union Wear CommitteeWear your membership with pride! Help design union gear for SFUSD chapter members to show off their solidarityI want to help make a Union shirt! |  Telecom CommitteeOther employees get paid when they have to use their phones for work – we should too! Help make that happen.I should be paid for cell phone use! |
We met on Monday for our third negotiation session about the potential Prop G Parcel Tax. Our asks include additional salary for all members to help us reach city parity, a minimum 4-hour schedule for student nutrition workers, summertime paid training for clerks, expansion of environmental health and a training program for new staff, and community school support for the new transitional housing shelter at Buena Vista Horace Mann.
We anticipate winning on most of these issues. If one is particularly important to you, call the school board and let them know, or come to the June 12 meeting at 6pm!
Because of a potential November ballot measure that could overturn the parcel tax, it may be several months before this is fully resolved. We’ll keep you posted. If you want more information on our political work, please give us your personal email address.