Bargaining Updates
Bargaining Team Reaches Tentative Agreement With TUSD For More Wages, Stronger Language Around Leaves, & Protections Against Layoffs
Our SEIU Local 99 Bargaining Team stood strong to increase TUSD’s initial wage offer of 3% to 5%. Members on our team also secured a bonus and other improvements.
Highlights of the tentative agreement include:
- A 5% salary increase retroactive to July 1, 2023
- One-time $1,000 off-schedule bonus payment for paid status of 1.0 Full-Time Equivalent or greater, less than a 1.0 assignment will have the $1,000 reduced in proportion to the work assignment (e.g. an 80% FTE assignment would receive $800)
- The right to a written notice when there is a schedule change
- One Paid Personal Observance Day (POD)
- Return to work accommodations for Industrial Accident Leave
- Stronger protections against Layoffs
- Read the tentative agreement here.
Members must vote to ratify the agreement.
Vote in person on Friday, December 8, from 7:00 am – 4:00 pm at 3 locations:
- South High School Performing Arts Center 4801 Pacific Coast Hwy, Torrance CA 90505
- West High School Performing Arts Center 20401 Victor St, Torrance CA 90503
- District Office -Conference Room in the administration building 2335 Plaza del Amo, Torrance CA 90501
Voting Process:
- Only members of SEIU Local 99 at TUSD may vote. *If not yet a member, sign-up online HERE or fill out a membership application at the voting location.
- All voters’ membership status will be verified before receiving a ballot.
Vote Count:
- The votes will be counted on December 8 at 4:30 PM at West High School (20402 Victor St, Torrance CA 90503).
Members are welcome to observe.
Your bargaining team recommends a “Yes” vote.
Let’s continue to stand strong! Next year, we will be negotiating another contract reopener with TUSD which includes wages, benefits, and two articles.
Show TUSD that we are united by wearing your SEIU Local 99 t-shirt or a purple t-shirt on T-Shirt Tuesdays or when you go vote to ratify the tentative agreement.
Stay informed and active. Check out the TUSD member workplace page on our website.
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.
Reopener Agreement Reached with Options For Learning!
Members Voted YES to Ratify our Reopener Agreement with Options For Learning!
Our SEIU Local 99 bargaining team is pleased to announce that we have ratified an agreement with Options For Learning on the current contract reopener, but our fight for dignity, respect, and wages in line with the services we provide has only just begun!
The agreement includes:
- A wage increase of 25% for eligible employees
- 12.5% increase as of December 1, 2023
- Additional 12.5% increase as of July 1,2024
- Retroactive pay
- 5% Pay Differential while providing the following services:
- Bilingual services
- Working as a Floater (e.g. substitute teacher)
- Regularly working with special needs children
- The Consolidation of Personnel Policies
- Quarterly professional development training
You can read the full language of the Agreement HERE
What’s Next? Gearing up to begin negotiations for our next full contract!!!
In order to be prepared to fight for respect and recognition of our work, we need to organize our sites. Now that the reopener is wrapped up, we will shift the focus to our Full Contract Campaign. This is our opportunity to make BIG changes to wages, hours, working conditions, staffing, and more!
Here’s what you can do now to prepare for full contract negotiations in September 2024:
- Grow Our Union. Membership counts! Sign up to be a member here
- Engage your co-workers on issues directly impacting them. Remember: you have rights and protections to continue to improve working conditions.
- Visit the Options For Learning workplace page on union website for updates
- Show your unity. Participate in worksite actions, including Purple-Up T-shirt Days
When We Fight, We Win! Looking Back at This Year of Labor
When we fight, we win! This year was the year of labor. Some call it a comeback, but we never went away – we just showed up, showed out and showed everyone what we’re made of!
Check out this video featuring your fellow SEIU Local 99 members looking back at this historic year of being union strong and winning game-changing collective bargaining agreements. And if you were part of the actions that led to our big victories this year, leave a comment below and tell us your story!
Election Results Are In for LAUSD’s New Bargaining Team and Labor Management Committees
Members have voted to elect their co-workers who will be part of the Bargaining Team negotiating our next contract with LAUSD and those who will form part of the Labor Management Committees working to address issues currently impacting members’ jobs. Final results are in.
Congratulations to all the member leaders who participated in the process. Remember, it’s up to all members to support these teams. They meet directly with the district but, as we know, if we want our voices heard, we need to be ready to take action at our worksites and in our communities.
LAUSD BARGAINING TEAM:
UNIT B
Laura Costa, Special Education Assistant
Elizabeth Parker, Special Education Assistant
Audray Grant, Health Care Assistant
Lori Oshiro, Speech Language Pathology Assistant
Alice Rivera, Special Education Assistant
Gilbert Feliciano, Special Education Assistant
Kim Harrison, Health Care Assistant
Yolanda Mims Reed, Special Education Assistant
Kathleen Hamm, Special Education Assistant
UNIT C
Jorge Ruelas, Stock Worker
Elroy Johnson, Bus Driver
Antonio Ahumada, Truck Driver
Orasio Morales, Truck Driver
Lynneier Boyd Peterson, Bus Driver
Ingrid Majeed Williams, Bus Driver
Jesus Bernal, Bus truck Mechanic
Deborah Hamilton, Maintenance & Operations
Mary Graves, Maintenance & Operations
Unit F
Briana Morris, Teacher Assistant
There is one vacancy in this unit.
Unit G
Jennifer Bravo School Supervision Aide
Wendy Diaz-Antonio Community Representative
Haydee Malacas, Community Representative
There is one vacancy in this unit.
LAUSD LABOR MANAGEMENT COMMITTEES:
BUS DRIVERS
Elroy Johnson, Bus Driver
Lynneier Boyd Peterson, Bus Driver
Darrell Clark, Bus Driver
John Lewis, Bus Driver
Tanya Walters, Bus Driver
Inger Majeed Williams, Bus Driver
EARLY EDUCATION
Monica Medrano, Early Education Aide
There are four vacancies in this committee.
MAINTENANCE & OPERATIONS
Jenifer Rhodes Maintenance & Operations
Mary Stewart, Maintenance & Operations
Carl Sanders, Maintenance & Operations
Mary Graves, Maintenance & Operations
Deborah Hamilton , Maintenance & Operations
MECHANICS
Jesus Bernal, Bus Truck Mechanic
There are five vacancies on this committee.
SPECIAL EDUCATION
Jessica Zepeda, Health Care Assistant
Elizabeth Parker Special Education Assistant
Kelvin Bryant Special Education Assistant
Alice Rivera, Special Education Assistant
Yolanda Mims Reed, Special Education Assistant
UNIT F – TEACHER ASSISTANTS
Briana Morris, Teacher Assistant
Mya Ford, Teacher Assistant
There are three vacancies on this committee.
UNIT G (School Supervision Aides, Community Representatives, After School Program Workers)
Maria Jovel, School Supervision Aide
There are four vacancies on this committee.
Please note: no nominations were submitted for Food Services, IT, or Procurement Labor Management Committees
The Results are in for SMMUSD’s New Labor Management Committees
SEIU Local 99 Members at Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) on the Labor Management Committees will be working to enforce our current contract and address any issues that may arise in the different work areas. But it’s up to all members to support these teams. They meet directly with the district but, as we know, if we want our voices heard, we need to be ready to support them at our worksites and in our communities.
Members were elected to these teams after a rigorous nomination process that included collecting signatures from members in their job category. Please note that vacancies still exist in some job categories.
Congratulations to all the member leaders who participated in the process. Now, let’s get ready to fight for better working conditions and more!
SMMUSD Labor Management Committees
Transportation
- Martelle Riley Bus Driver
- Kathy Yates Bus Driver
- Deborah McCord Bus Driver
- There are 2 vacancies in this committee.
Food Services
- Venecia Benjamin, Cafeteria Manager 2
- There are 4 vacancies in this committee.
M&O
- 5 seats remain open.
Information Technology
- 1 seat remains open.
Security
- 1 seat remains open.
Special Ed
- Marissa Mckeever, Paraeducator
- There are 4 vacancies on this committee.
Executive Committee
- Kathy Yates, Bus Driver
- Henry Placencia , Skilled Maintenance
- There are 3 vacancies on this committee.
*Please note, no nominations were submitted for Security, IT, or M&O Labor Management Committees
Only active SEIU Local 99 members are eligible to be on these committees and vote on electing members to the committees. If you’re not yet a member, sign-up here.
Special Ed Assistants at LAUSD Enforce Contract, Win Back Pay for 5.5% BII Differential – and a system to ensure district continues to pay differential
Winning a strong contract also means we need to stay active to make sure employers honor it. That’s exactly what Special Education Assistants at LAUSD did. In our latest contract, members won a 5.5% differential for Special Education Assistants who provide Behavior Intervention Implementation (BII) services as indicated in a student’s IEP. But LAUSD was not paying the differential. Members spoke out and LAUSD will be making the payout.
LAUSD says they have identified approximately 2,400 Special Education Assistants who provided BII services between April 18, 2023 when our contract was ratified and October 31, 2023, including Extended School Year 2023 (ESY).
Just in time for the holidays, the first retro payment of the stipend is scheduled to be paid on Wednesday, November 22, 2023, for Semi-Monthly (SM) payroll and on Tuesday, December 5, 2023, for Certificated (CE) payroll (approximately 50 Special Education Assistants who provided the services are now teachers).
To ensure that members providing BII services in the future are properly paid, the District said it is creating a special time reporting code. While the time reporting code is in development, the District will manually calculate and pay eligible Special Education Assistants as a lump sum payment of 5.5% based on all regular time worked while assigned to provide BII services. The district will calculate a second round of lump sum retro payments to pay Special Education Assistants providing BII services from November 1, 2023, through the development of the time reporting code. The time reporting code is anticipated to be completed in early Spring.
Let’s stay strong to make sure LAUSD honors our contract. If you are a Special Education Assistant and believe you were not paid for BII work you performed since April 18, 2023 to the present, complete an SEIU Local 99 Inquiry Form.