9/14/2020

*MOUs are posted under the Important Documents tab*

*Impact Provisions

*Effects

*ASL Interpreters

*Leaves

Today, your bargaining team reached a tentative agreement on four (4) separate MOUs with the district.  We have solidified language around the effects of the June 1 personnel action, leaves, ASL and provisions going into the 20/21 school year. 

These agreements will be uploaded to the website for viewing within the next 24 hours.  

A huge thank you to the team that sacrificed portions of their summer and has put in endless hours during the negotiation process:

Kathy Unruh

Rhonda Stinson

Kari Madden

Lisa Wolf

Jana Quiocho

Liz Walle

Jazmyn Daniels

Glory Tichy

Know that this could not have been possible without the way our membership sprang into action on multiple occasions when prompted  These past four months have served a bigger purpose as well which is letting the district know we are a valuable part of the educational team and we deserve respect.  This concept is still not acknowledged by all upper admin within TPS but we are moving in the right direction thanks to the actions of our members!!

Negotiations progressed today.  Our team was able to converse in respectful dialogue with the district team members regarding specifics on our MOUs and while we did not finalize any today, steps were taken to move us closer to agreements.  We will resume on Monday, September 14th.  

We wanted the district to get wind of the planned vote of no confidence and to be assured that if necessary, our members would follow through.  That would have been bad press for TPS which we know they want to avoid.  We hoped this "plan" would drive negotiations forward. The team feels the district did what was necessary today to avoid possible action.  Today, we will not hold that vote.  Although we will not vote today, make no mistake that action may continue to be necessary as we move forward.

It is important for our members to see the big picture.  Our local had been complacent for far too long.  This past year we have changed that and not all in district admin wish to acknowledge it. All of these actions and movement are baby steps to becoming respected in the eyes of upper administration as valuable members of the educational team and as employees.

Enjoy your weekend!

The bargaining team was at the table today for 8 hours with the district accompanied by a mediator.

*Several proposals were passed back and forth regarding the effects of the June 1 personnel action.  We did not reach a resolution.

*At the end of our bargaining today the union delivered several MOUs to the district on the impact of the 20/21 academic school year including language for leaves as well as general provision affecting our bargaining unit members.

*Our next bargaining date is set for Friday, September 11th. 

On a side note, we know this has been a very frustrating time.  Information has come at the last minute and the district has dug in their heels getting things done at the bargaining table.  The year has officially started for us and the kids aren't far behind. 

There are still a lot of questions and additionally, as we are discovering due to the enrollment numbers shifting, a lot of staff movement is occurring; which in some cases includes paras.

The expectations for our bargaining unit members have been laid out in the FAQ sent to your district email from Lisa Nolan on August 27th.  At this time, reporting is up to your admin and that should be your point of contact regarding your work schedule.  

We know communication has been limited.  If you have yet to hear from your building admin, email Steven Deaderick and cc your principal.  

**Please be patient and give grace to yourself and others during this transition time.  There are so many moving parts and so much that we don't see through these processes.

Questions can be sent to local461info@gmail.com 

Enjoy the long weekend!!

On Friday, August 28th, our team met with a mediator assigned by PERC (Public Employee Relations Commission).  Our bargaining team will be working several days this week in preparation to resume negotiations on Thursday, September 3rd with the district.  We will be joined at the table by the mediator in an effort to move negotiations towards a resolution.  We will post an update on Thursday evening.

While negotiations are still on-going the union has reached out to the district to find out very important factors in order to allow our members to plan accordingly for the start of the year. The district responded indicating that indeed we need these details and district communication would be forth-coming to our  members. For now, this is what we know:

1. What actual days are we working?  Many were reduced from 5 days/week and there has been no communication on what our "report" days are. Communication coming!! However, in order to push immediate communication from the district, we are suggesting you email your principal and ask what your "work" days are if your FTE was reduced from 5 days BECAUSE NO ONE SEEMS TO KNOW!!

2. Will bargaining unit members be expected to report to buildings during the school day? Paraeducators will be expected to fulfill the essential functions of their jobs. Some jobs can only be performed on site. The determination of whether a job can be worked remotely is contingent upon on a work analysis performed by the program director and/or principal along with Human Resources. 

Paraeducators may be asked to come to the building to assist with materials preparation and/or planning during the Remote model. 

When/if deemed necessary for students to receive in-person small group or individual instruction, paraeducators will be needed in the classroom. When students and teachers return to the buildings for small group, individual or cohort (Hybrid) learning, paraeducators will be needed in the buildings. 

This brings up a TON of questions, we know!!!  As information is revealed to us all over the coming days a lot of those questions will be answered so please be patient!

For now, if you haven't completed the survey that was sent by the district regarding reporting back to work, now would be a good time to do so; OR you can contact Sarah Miller directly.  

***If you are unable to report to work onsite you WILL need to start the accommodation process and it will be determined if your role can be accommodated remotely.  If it cannot, you may need to explore leave options.  

Language around available leaves (similar to TEA) will be negotiated as part of impact bargaining.

This is what we know as of 10:00am on Wednesday, August 26th.  

New posts will follow as new information is provided!

Your bargaining team put in 6.5 hours of effects bargaining at the table with the district today.  We pushed a counter across the table and the district returned with an admittance of being unwilling to move on their end at this time.

Both parties have agreed to pursue mediation.  

We intend to return to the table next week.

At this time our key asks are centered around: 

*increasing FTE to healthcare eligibility threshold

*increasing 1:1 paraeducators fte in order to support their students

*incentivized retirement

ACTION!!!!

We need to keep pushing the district to show the respect we deserve and move forward with negotiations.

Use #movenegotiationsforward during the Facebook live TPS School Board meeting tomorrow evening at 6pm. 

First official report day for our bargaining unit members is Thursday, September 3rd.  As with any other year, PD and trainings vary from building to building.  If you are asked to attend anything prior to the first report day, it would be best to ask your admin how you will be paid as these are not "district required" trainings but are optional for our bargaining unit.  Calendar is posted on the TPS website.

It is expected that principals will get some general guidance based on programs regarding our roles as we start this year and how we will be utilized "within our buildings".  Much of the details will likely be left up to admin in each building.  Please be patient as this guidance is still being determined and communicated to principals.

*It is recommended that if you haven't already, complete the district survey regarding returning to work.  This was initially emailed via district email on June 17th.  It was resent on August 12th to anyone who did not previously respond. 

*If you are unable to report to work you will need to go through the accommodation process with the human resources department.  Your job will not be affected by answering the survey.

*We anticipate communication regarding the 2020/2021 academic year to be coming to all staff in the next few days.

8/14/2020 Update from your TFP Bargaining Team:

•  We are extremely disappointed in the insulting counter-proposal Tacoma School District presented during our effects bargaining today. We will not stand for the continued disrespect shown to our bargaining unit. The actions the district continues to take toward our bargaining unit shows disregard for our students, our members and our community. 

• We will be reaching out to our members Monday to discuss immediate actions that need to be taken.  Please make yourselves available – watch for further communication on Monday. 

• We will be returning to the bargaining table on Wednesday to bargain both the effects of their June 1 actions and the impact of the coming school year. 

If you as an individual are asked by your principal, program admin or human resources to attend a Teams meeting anytime in the next few weeks prior to school starting, please reach out to Glory Tichy. 

There should be union representation at any and all meetings taking place that may involve movement or a change in your role or title as a paraeducator for the coming school year.  tfppresident@gmail.com

*There are many TFP members working on behalf of our union during these times.  You will receive text messages, phone calls and emails from members other than our board members. Please know the board is working in collaboration with members who have stepped up to share the workload.  

We will return to the bargaining table on Friday, August 14th and expect to receive a counter proposal from the district in response to our proposal on effects of the June 1st personnel action.

•      *If no counter is offered, we will file an Unfair Labor Practice Complaint against the district for failure to bargain in good faith with TFP.
•      *Additionally, we will put into place an action of our membership in order to get the district to bargain.
•      *Watch for an update on Friday afternoon!

We expect to learn more details on the role of paraeducators for the fall in the next week or so.

•      *When we know, you will know.
•      *Impact bargaining refers to how the changes with the start of the school year will affect our roles as paraeducators. Impact bargaining will begin as soon as effects bargaining wraps up.

TPS will resend the voluntary survey regarding exemptions and ability to report to buildings when the time comes.  Your employment status will not be affected by completing this survey.  The district needs to know what percentage of staff will have exemptions from reporting.  It will be necessary to go through the accommodation process for an exemption.  

AFT will hold an unemployment workshop that will focus on applying for unemployment by those who saw a reduction in FTE of greater than 25%.  We are aiming for the week of August 24th.  Date coming soon!

We had 70% of our membership complete the survey that TFP sent out.  Those results will be used in our efforts during impact bargaining.  Thank you for participating!!

We hope this update finds you healthy and creatively finding ways to enjoy this beautiful summer despite things looking differently than previous summers.

At this time, we do not yet have an update for what our individual roles as paraeducators will look like as we start the school year remotely, however we expect an update on this in the coming week. We will complete effects bargaining and will then begin the process of impact bargaining for the coming school year. 

We will go back to the table this coming Friday in hopes of wrapping up effects bargaining from the personnel action on June 1st. We need to put pressure on the district to come prepared with a counter to our proposals. Please attend an Action Update Zoom meeting this Wednesday, August 12that 6pm. 

TFP Action Update
 

August 12th 6-7pm
 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85359115452?pwd=bk1oTlhSejI3NzFtSStzakQ0MkJMQT09
 

Meeting ID: 853 5911 5452
 

Passcode: 383094
 

One tap mobile

+12063379723

 

Update on PFML:

We have received reports that members who were initially denied Paid Family Medial Leave claims have received their benefits after filing an appeal. Additionally, we were informed yesterday after readdressing the grievance that was filed on this subject just prior to COVID that eligible bargaining unit members are indeed able to apply and will no longer receive denials. Our bargaining unit members who meet the eligibility requirements are able to receive this benefit!!

Membership Meetings:

We will begin the school year with virtual membership meetings in September. The website will be updated with meeting dates in the next few weeks.

 We went back to the bargaining table today to continue negotiating the impacts on the personnel actions by TPS on June 1st. TFP has put 2 proposals across the table. Below are a list of some of our bargaining priorities:

• Ensuring those employed by TPS have access to healthcare
• Increasing FTE in order to be eligible for benefits
• Getting laid off paras back into the classroom
• Return rights for those involuntarily transferred out of their positions and buildings

We began the conversation with the district over utilization of paraeducators going forward.  We discussed at length the opportunity TPS has to get creative and innovative in the utilization of paraeducators as we move forward with the new look of school for the immediate future.

Discussion began with regard to what it would look like to get paras trained to potentially support students virtually.  

We plan to continue these conversations with the district extensively.

We expect to receive a counter from the district in the next couple of weeks and will continue bargaining at that time.

Whew!! All of a sudden we find ourselves in the last days of the school year and I won't even comment on what a year (or few months) it has been.  

A lot has happened in these past 2 weeks and while everything won't be remedied or resolved before the last day of school, please know that your union will continue to work through the summer for you.  This is a marathon, not a sprint.  

We all seek the same thing: to be respected and valued by TPS.   Your actions as a local through this time have spoken volumes!!  Changing the tone with management takes a lot of work and time. Together, we have begun to take these necessary steps, but know more work lies ahead of us.

What's next?  

-We will continue bargaining the effects of the layoffs next week.

The model for the 2020/2021 may or may not change what the proposed staffing changes look like for our bargaining unit.

-We will present the petition to the school board prior to the June 25th meeting.  This meeting is where the proposed layoffs and reductions in fte will be voted on by the board.

-AFT will begin the plans for facilitating an unemployment workshop in the coming weeks.

-Once the academic model for 2020/2021 is publicized we will begin the process of negotiations with the district which will likely go through the summer.

-Keep up to date through the summer by regularly checking our website.

-If you haven't already, email tfpsecretary@gmail.com with your personal email to ensure we can communicate with you outside of district email.

-If you have general questions come up during the summer, please email them to local461info@gmail.com.

Be well and enjoy your summer!