Bargaining Updates
Bargaining Update for HLPUSD: Moving Forward on Grievance & Leave Language
Our SEIU Local 99 bargaining team met with HLPUSD management on September 13 and 19 to negotiate over several articles in our contract reopener negotiations. The articles on the table are:
- Article VI Grievance Procedures
- Article VIII Salary/Work Periods/Overtime
- Article IX Health and Welfare Insurance Benefits
- Article XV Safety
- Article XIV Leaves
Our team is making progress and we reached verbal agreement on articles related to Grievance Procedures and Leaves. Our SEIU Local 99 negotiations team continues to negotiate over wages and benefits. Let’s stand strong to win the living wages we deserve! The next negotiations session is scheduled for Wednesday, September 27th.
SEIU Local 99 members on the Bargaining team negotiating directly with HLPUSD management are:
- Joyce Garcia – Cafeteria Manager III
- Laura Silva – School Office Manager
- Robert Barba – Police Officer
- Susan Lopez – School Office Manager
- David Castillo – Facilities Manager
- Leizle Guerrero – School Office Manager
Our Unity is Our Voice!
If you are not yet a member of SEIU Local 99, you can sign-up at future membership meetings or sign-up online today. Remember: we have strength in numbers!
If you have any questions about negotiations or job-related concerns, contact your organizer Ulises Leon at (213) 219-6135 or, by email at uleon@seiu99.org.
LAUSD Proposes Cutbacks to Health Care Benefits. We Say No Way!
Negotiations with LAUSD over health care benefits are ON! We’ve got to be ready to take action because the district is making moves to cut back on health care plans and push the cost onto workers.
SEIU Local 99 is part of the Health Care Benefits Committee (HBC) and we join with the seven other unions at LAUSD (UTLA, Teamsters, CSEA, AALA, Building Trades, School Police, School Police Management) to negotiate over benefits with the district. Health care benefits are negotiated separately from other contracts. At our bargaining session on September 14, LAUSD presented us with these outrageous proposal, including:
- Maintaining our current health care benefits for only one year, until the end of 2024. After that, LAUSD proposes that we go back to negotiations – while also proposing to reduce our bargaining power!
- Making workers pay for the cost of benefits by removing all language about how much money the district contributes to health care benefits per employee and getting rid of the reserve fund which pays for any increases to benefits.
- Reducing our decision-making power. Currently, each union on the Health Benefits Committee gets a vote on the types of plans and costs. We have 8 votes to ensure all workers have a voice. But the district wants to reduce it to just one vote.
- Forcing their health care plan changes onto us. The district proposes that if an agreement can’t be reached between unions and management on changes to health care benefits, we will be forced into a binding arbitration process wherein the arbitrator can force plan design changes and, likely, any cuts that would result from the changes to the plan.
We say, no way! The district’s proposal will reduce our health care benefits and force workers to pay, essentially doing away with our wage increases.
Let’s continue to stay strong. Our next bargaining session with LAUSD is on September 27. Stay tuned.
Our Unity is Our Voice! Sign-Up! Fight Back!
If you are not yet a member of SEIU Local 99, you can sign-up at future membership meetings or sign-up online today. Remember: we have strength in numbers to fight back against the district’s proposed changes and cutbacks to our health care benefits.
LAUSD Overpayment Error: Know Your Rights
UPDATE! Our union met with LAUSD to discuss notices of overpayment that were sent to nearly 3000 members. If you received a notice from the district stating that you were overpaid in August and/or September of 2020, be aware that, under our contract, you have rights and protections on payroll errors. Be aware of the following:
- There is a 3-year limit of recovery for payroll errors. The district cannot demand to collect for dates in August, 2020 since these are out of the timeline indicated in our contract. The language in our contract states:
Limitations Upon Recovery: Any payroll or other salary errors claimed by an employee against the District in a timely manner as provided in the grievance procedure of Article V shall be corrected retroactively up to a maximum of three (3) years from the date of claim. In the event of an error in favor of an employee, the District shall be limited in its retroactive recovery against the employee by a three (3) year period dating from the discovery of the error. The District will notify an affected employee who receives an overpayment of more than fifty dollars ($50.00) prior to making any deductions to recover such over-payment from the employee’s subsequent salary payments. The District may allow the affected employee to establish a reasonable method of repayment with Payroll Administration.
- Request a printed statement of the exact pay periods affected with dates, prior to committing to make payment arrangements as it is the employer’s burden to proof. Request a meeting with a payroll specialist and your SEIU Local 99 representative HERE.
- If the district insists on collecting money paid outside of the three-year period (August 2020), report it to SEIU Local 99 by completing this inquiry form. A grievance can be filed as this is a violation of our contract.
- If you believe the amount the district is trying to collect is incorrect, you have the right to challenge it with LAUSD’s Payroll Administration Department. Their contact information is:
Payroll Customer Services
Phone: 213-241-2570 (Monday-Friday, 8am-4pm
Fax: 866-761-7413
Email: payrollsupport@lausd.net
If you cannot reach anyone in LAUSD’s Payroll Administration Department, please complete SEIU Local 99’s Online Inquiry Form and you will be contacted by a Local 99 Member Resource Center Representative.
Learn About Union Power At Options!
When workers come together in their union, they change the basic power relationship at work. Without a union, employers have almost all the rights. United, workers have a strong voice to improve their wages, benefits, and working conditions.
Read the Latest Updates on Options For Learning
We’re building union power to prepare for our upcoming contract negotiations and it’s time to let your voice be heard for high-quality child care and early learning services! During contract negotiations, you and your colleagues will decide what improvements can be made at your workplace, and develop proposals to negotiate with your employer. The greater our numbers, the greater our power to continue to build on our contract gains
Here’s what you can do NOW to ensure your voice is being heard!
- If you are not yet a member, join us! You can sign up online HERE
- This Thursday, September 21, we will be discussing the upcoming contract negotiations and giving more information about what it means to be part of SEIU Local 99. Register for the meeting, via Zoom HERE
- Complete the Options For Learning bargaining survey! Your responses will help the bargaining team finalize priorities for upcoming contract negotiations.
If you have any questions about our contract or job-related concerns, contact Nanette Rincon-Ksido, Director of External Organizing, at (213) 220-6523 or, by email at nrinconksido@seiu99.org
SEIU Local 99 Regional Meetings 9/19, 9/20, 9/21
Join us at one of our upcoming regional meetings to get the latest updates on contract negotiations and other work site news. The meetings are for ALL SEIU Local 99 members.
The dates and times are:
- Tuesday, September 19 at 5pm (Central & East Los Angeles)
SEIU Local 99 Office
3530 Wilshire Blvd. #1800, Los Angeles, CA 90010
Park in the visitor parking on Irolo St. - Wednesday, August 23 at 5pm (San Fernando Valley)
IBEW Local 11 Office
400 Chatsworth Dr.
San Fernando, CA 91340 - Thursday, August 24 at 5pm (East/South Los Angeles)
Firebaugh High School
5246 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd.
Lynwood, CA 90262
Family Child Care Providers
RSVP HERE! Get the latest information on our second union contract, the upcoming child care stipends, how we can ensure that we have our voices heard when it comes to developing a pay structure that reflects the true costs associated with running a child care business, and how to build a strong union at one of our regional membership meetings. Complete the cost of care survey if you have not done so already.
Our Unity is Our Voice!
If you are not yet a member of SEIU Local 99, you can sign-up at future membership meetings or sign-up online today. Remember: we have strength in numbers!
Make Your Voice Heard! LAUSD School Board Election Townhall
School Board Members make decisions about our jobs and wages, vote on our contract, and decide on budgets and issues that impact the quality of our public schools. This is our opportunity to elect school board leaders who understand and value classified school employees – and will stand with us!
Join us at our LAUSD School Board Election Townhalls to learn more about the candidates running in the upcoming Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Board elections for Board Districts 1, 3, 5, and 7.
Ask them where they stand on the issues we care about, including wages, hours, subcontracting, staffing, childcare, and more.
And then cast your vote to decide who SEIU Local 99 will endorse in the upcoming March 2024 election.
You don’t have to work at LAUSD to attend, but you must be an SEIU Local 99 member.
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LAUSD Election Townhall for Board District 1 (most of South LA) & District 7 (parts of South LA to San Pedro)
Wednesday, September 27, 5:30 pm
Firebaugh High School: Multi-purpose Room- 5246 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Lynwood, CA 90262
LAUSD Election Townhall for Board District 5 (Northeast & Southeast LA)
Thursday, September 28, 5:00 pm
ELAC South Gate Campus: SG Center 105 – 2340 Firestone Blvd. South Gate, CA 90280
LAUSD Election Townhall for Board District 3 (West San Fernando Valley)
Thursday, October 19, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
IBEW Local 11 Office – 400 Chatsworth Dr. San Fernando, CA 91340