Organizing

Did You Know? 

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Our Bargaining Team Plans to Begin Sunshining for Our Successor Contract in December 2021 

What does “sunshining” mean?

Under the Rodda Act, passed in 1975, the school board and the union must review the terms of the existing agreement at least once every three years. The result of this negotiating determines the salaries and benefits, hours, calendar, and most aspects of teachers’ working conditions. Negotiators can also discuss problems and address new issues that have arisen during the period of the contract. This can be especially significant when the Legislature and governor have passed new laws—for example, about school finance or teacher training and evaluation. A district can implement these laws only after the impact has been bargained.

The schedule for negotiations is jointly planned, and the process can extend over many months. Negotiations may be private. The “sunshine” clause of the Rodda Act requires that each party’s initial bargaining proposal be presented for public comment at a publicized school board meeting. Any new subjects raised later must be made public within 24 hours, and the school board must explain the financial impact of any proposed settlement before adopting the final contract.

Negotiations eventually result in a signed contract that is binding on both the board and the union. It applies to all the teachers in the bargaining unit whether or not all of them have joined the union. Those who have joined the union pay union dues.

Interested in learning more? Go to: 

https://www.ed-data.org/article/Negotiating-Teachers'-Contracts-in-California

You can find our current contract at our OGEA Website