Latest Info from Your Bargaining Team

Hello Everyone,
I'm sure you have all heard but we have reached a Tentative Agreement!!
I was so disappointed after last Friday's session so I didn't know what to expect yesterday. We were only supposed to meet from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm but it was extended to 3:30 pm. It was well worth it because both sides came to an agreement on salary and healthcare. Here are the main pieces...
  1. 10% on schedule, retro to 7/1/2022
  2.  2% off schedule
  3. No cap on health insurance
  4. Move to CSEBO for our health insurance GPO (we will still have Blue Cross and Kaiser, Delta Dental and VSP)
  5. $5000 cash in lieu for full-time employees and prorated for part-time employees who have other insurance through a spouse and therefore don't take district insurance.
We still have some finalizing to do before we send it out to ratify but this is a huge win! The 10% on schedule, 2% off schedule is not the 11.5% we were asking for, however, we fought an excellent fight that must continue to help us reach competitive wages. This is not the end, it is only the beginning. We have shown that we are a force to be reckoned with and that we deserve to be heard. I am beyond proud!
So, here are some important dates coming up...
  1. Wednesday, 12/7 is Rep Council. I will make it a quick one since we also have a VUEA/VESPA Town Hall to talk about CSEBO the same night. VUEA will send out a link and when I get that I will share that with you.
  2. Tuesday, 12/13, VESPA/VUEA will meet with the District to finalize the TA
  3. Wednesday, 12/14 we will open voting for ratifications of the contract (articles and total compensation)
  4. Sunday, 12/18 voting ends. 
  5. After Winter Break VUSD will send the contract to the county for approval
  6. Mid-January, once the county agrees to the contract the School Board meets to approve the contract.
If it ratifies, my guess is that we can expect checks late January or early February.
Again, this win is your win. We could not have accomplished any of this without your hard work, dedication and support. Your presence at board meetings and rallies, wearing your red shirts and car signs made a HUGE difference. Thank you all so very much!!!
Here are some of the hard workers who worked for you and appreciated the support you gave them:
Negotiations Team
Felix Cortez, Jackie Lopez, Margaret Parsadanyan, Kathleen Garcia, Michael McBride, Jerry Jones and Lori Walker

Organizing Team/ Exec Board
Robert Ybarra (Organizing Chair), Kendall Griffin, Leticia Murillo, Nadia Herrera, Paula Barone, John Gustafson, Rick Thayer
Stuart Lilly, Mario Velez, Ray Morales, Lydia Ramirez-Valencia, Chris Roche and Arleigh Kidd (CTA)

Thank you for reading until the end. I appreciate you all so very much. I am proud to be VESPA Strong!!!
In Solidarity,
Carol

November 29, 2022 - Negotiations

MOU Summer Session