Member survey results

 November 22, 2021:

Our contract is ratified!

This evening our contract was accepted by an overwhelming majority of the members present!

November 10, 2021: 

Contract Ratification Meeting

November 22nd at Mt. Tahoma Auditorium 

Doors will open at 5:30  

An outline of the contract changes will be given to members at sign in. 

Bargaining Team members will begin presenting the contract changes at 6:00. 

Voting will be held at 6:30. Ratification requires a simple majority.

This is a closed meeting open to Tacoma Federation of Education Support Professionals members only. Membership forms will be available for bargaining unit members at sign in.

Our many hours of bargaining efforts focused on the four priorities that were identified by our members last spring. These priorities were Job Security, Safety, Respect and Wages. Our results include these and many more:

• Assignment transfer process

• Rehire process for displaced members

• Increased notification time for pending staffing changes 

• Inclusion of member voice in district issues that affect our members

• Inclusive language throughout the contract 

• Recouping time for incidents that include violence 

• Annual wage increases for the 3-year life of this contract that total 10.5% plus IDP (formerly COLA) 

• Incremental changes in our salary schedule

Please plan to join us on November 22nd.

November 8, 2021

After 61.5 hours at the table and 118.5 hours planning...

We finished!

Your bargaining team agreed with our contract's last proposals today at about 4:15 p.m. We are happy to be finished and proud to have represented all of our members. We look forward to sharing the changes with you.  Watch for a future announcement with details of a ratification meeting.

October 30, 2021

We have been “at the table” since June. We knew this would be a long process because our goal was to examine and attempt to update all of the parts of our contract. RESPECT, JOB SECURITY, STAFF SAFETY and WAGES were identified as our top priorities from last spring’s member survey and two meetings. We feel that we have addressed them all. We have had the opportunity to present our changes and explain our reasons for the change to the district team. They did the same in turn. Overall, our team feels we have been heard. We have presented all of our proposals and now we wait for the district to respond in all areas.    

Have you signed the petition to support Tacoma Classified United? If not, please sign electronically at https://bit.ly/3botcf3

September 29, 2021

After much preparation, we were prepared and ready to be at the bargaining table today. We received very last minute notice that the District would have to cancel. We will be meeting with management again on Monday and we expect management to come to the table with a response to our proposals on the vaccine mandate and many other proposals, including wages. We are having a Contract Action Team meeting next week on Wednesday, October 6th. If you are interested in joining the Contract Action Team, please contact Bargaining Team member Kari Madden at countrygirl123@gmail.com. 

September 15, 2021

To date, your Bargaining Team has spent:

79.50 hours planning

38.5 hours at the table with the district

Your team was back at the bargaining table (via Zoom) for the first time since mid-August on Wednesday. We were able to counter several proposals and offered tentative agreements to several more. We also presented a Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) addressing the affects of the Governor’s vaccine mandate. We have three more bargaining sessions on the calendar, and we continue to review and rewrite contract language where needed.   One item in particular we are pursuing is the continuation of the district paying the employee’s portion of the premium for Family Leave and Medical Leave benefit as bargained and agreed upon in our previous contract.

We are making progress overall.

August 30, 2021

After our last bargaining session on August 10th, the District informed us that their next available date for bargaining would be September 15th. They provided us with two dates in September and two dates in October, all of which were presented to us as half days only. We requested full days, evenings and weekends from the District, but they declined. The District suggested “there is every expectation that this heavy spell of bargaining will continue until the holiday season.”  Please be assured that this does not mean that we are working without a contract, our current contract will remain in effect until a new contract is ratified.

August 10, 2021

After sharing our disappointment of the pace of negotiations, the District bargaining team was much more receptive to our proposals. RESPECT was demanded by your team. 

Our contract language has not been updated in many years. Some of the language is stale and does not represent a fair and equitable union. We have proposed major changes in contract language.

We have submitted dozens of proposals and reviewed the proposals from the District.  We still have PLENTY of work to do.  Be prepared for future actions. We are expanding our network of building representatives. If interested, please reach out to Anitra Wise, 461buildinga@gmail.com or Lisa Wolf, 461buildingrepb@gmail.com.

August 5, 2021

To date your Bargaining Team has spent:

61 hours in Bargaining Team Planning and 

27.5 hours at the Bargaining Table with TPS

We are disappointed in the pace of negotiations due to lack of preparation and engagement on the part of management. We have informed them of our displeasure and expectations moving forward and expect to see more movement on their part when we meet again next week. 

July 24, 2021

As you probably know, your bargaining team has been reviewing our old contract language. Our goal is to not only update the wording from the old contract, but also to review all of the articles and sections to make sure they apply appropriately to today’s members. This update is long overdue. The bargaining process is a volley of proposals and counter proposals between your bargaining team and the district’s team. This is a give and take process that repeats until there is consensus between the teams. We have sent many proposals across the table and this coming week your team will be reviewing the first of the district’s counter proposals.

July 15, 2021

Message from your Bargaining Team 

• As of July 15, 2021, we have devoted:

                45 hours in Bargaining Team Planning and

                23.5 hours at the Bargaining Table with the District

• We let management know that we are professionals and demand to be treated as such.
• We have put all of our proposals forward to management and expect to receive reasonable counter-proposals by August 4th, the next date we will meet again at the table.
• We expect reinvestment of the funds saved from the 2020-21 school year in paraeducators and prioritizing equity and respect in our positions and our roles in the education community.
• Stay tuned for a possible call to action!

June 30, 2021

Our union bargaining team is committed to a Collective Bargaining Agreement that meets the priorities of our members.

We presented the results of our member survey highlighting our top priorities for negotiations. In addition, we presented numerous proposals to management, including: 

- Dealing collaboratively with safety and assaults.

- Working towards a minimum hours of work to meet the needs of qualifying for SEBB and PFML.

- Adequate compensation for when there is no certificated staff present.

- 420-hour employees moving to permanent position.

- Gender affirming language throughout the contract.

- Creating language that differentiates between staff assault and disciplinary procedures for students with volatile behavior. 

We look forward to the District’s counter proposals and are committed to getting a Collective Bargaining Agreement that the bargaining team can recommend our members’ support and focus on our priorities.

June 23, 2021

Progress in Bargaining Report 6/23/2021:

Bargaining progressive with the support and input of our members. During bargaining we presented proposals that reflect the priorities our members and discussed the $70.7 million funding that was designated for Tacoma Public School in the American Rescue Plan:

• Funding from American Relief Plan Act (ESSER III) needs to be used for the students we serve, such as Title 1, English Language Learners, those with disabilities, LRC and others.
• Administrative transfers have hurt relationships between our members and the students. They need to be used rarely to only deal with personality conflicts and progressive discipline.
• Displaced employees not being required to go through probationary period and our seniority needs to be respected.

We exchanged many proposals and are looking forward to discussing staffing issues at the next session.

June 16, 2021

Your Bargaining Team would like to share with you, after a long day of bargaining today, we were able to:

• Show our unity in getting respect from the district and educate them on what respect looks like.
• Show the uniqueness of our job classifications and the skills it takes to work with our students.
• Share the need for American Recovery Plan funding from Federal Government going to student services.
• Put forth multiple proposals to strengthen our contract language, including proposing a minimum of hours of work.

June 10, 2021

Through our actions we’ve demonstrated to the District that we are united going into contract negotiations. Based on our membership survey, we presented to the District our top priorities at our first session, including:

● Maintaining hours of work and job security from year to year 

● A real living wage - wages that keep up with the cost of living

● Workload increases and cuts in hours

● Respect for the work we do with students

● Safety with students with volatile behavior

Our union bargaining team members presented background and real-life supporting information to the District team on these priorities.

Now we need to make sure all our members are signing our unity petition telling the district that Full Time Students Deserve Full Time Support and wearing BLUE on Thursday, June 17! Make sure to contact your bargaining team or Contract Action Team members to sign the petition.

We are looking forward to a continuing dialogue with the District in an atmosphere of openness and respect.

In unity, 

Your TFESP Bargaining Team,

Gillian Reese, First VP, Willard Early Learning Head Start

Anitra Wise, Building Coordinator, Stewart Middle School

Jana, Building Representative, Inclusive Preschool

Kari Madden, Building Representative, Foss High School

Rhonda Stinson, Secretary, Mt Tahoma High School

Elizabeth Douglas, Building Coordinator, Franklin Elementary

Kathy Unruh, President, Geiger Montessori

Lisa Wolf, Building Coordinator, SLPA, Itinerant Buildings

Liz Walle, Director of Communications, Washington Elementary