Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Labor Classified Staff topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Classified employees press board for higher pay; union leaders ask for 3% raise, cite $236,842 cost for 1% across unit
Summary
Classified staff speakers urged the board to improve pay during public comment, saying the district's latest offer of 2% would not bring lowest classifications to minimum wage. Union leaders contrasted the cost of raises with the superintendent's salary and district legal spending.
Speakers representing classified staff and the California School Employees Association (CSEA) asked the Alisal Union School District Board of Trustees to prioritize wage increases for more than 500 classified employees during public comment Tuesday.
Solange Qui Pinoy, president of CSEA Chapter 577, urged the board to increase the district's offer to the bargaining unit and asked the board to direct staff to raise the district proposal by 1 percentage point to reach at least a 3% salary increase. "We deserve respect, appreciation, and a living wage," Qui Pinoy told the board.
Qui Pinoy told trustees that a 1% increase for the entire classified bargaining unit would cost about $236,842 and contrasted that figure with the new superintendent's annual salary, which she said exceeds $260,000. She also criticized the district's use of outside legal counsel at bargaining, saying legal costs and staff time could be redirected to wages.
Carol Traylor, a 17-year nutrition services employee, also addressed the board and urged trustees to ratify a contract with CSEA Chapter 577, saying classified staff are "dedicated, efficient people who serve our community." Traylor asked trustees to consider the work classified employees do to support classrooms and students.
What the board did: The transcript records these remarks during the public-comment period; there was no recorded board vote or contract ratification on CSEA Chapter 577 at the meeting's open-session agenda. Separately, later in the meeting the board ratified a tentative agreement with the Alisal Teachers Association (ATA) and approved certificated salary-schedule changes, actions unrelated to the CSEA remarks.
Context: Qui Pinoy said the district's latest offer to the classified unit matched a 2% teacher increase but that the lowest classifications still fall short of minimum-wage levels. She requested the board prioritize funds to address that gap.
Ending: Trustees heard the requests during public comment; no formal action on the CSEA request was recorded in open session that evening.
