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Classified employees association ratifies contract; deal includes modest COLA, one-time payment and holiday change
Summary
Classified employees reported an 86% membership ratification of a tentative agreement, which includes a 0.5% ongoing COLA, a 0.82% one-time payment and several workplace adjustments including a Veterans Day holiday replacement.
District and classified-association negotiators reported May 21 that classified employees have ratified a negotiated agreement with an 86% yes vote in ratification balloting. The ratification was reported to the board; the board will vote on formal approval of contracts at a future meeting.
Paul Williams, president of the Classified Employees Association, and Milo Shepherd, chief of human resources, summarized the primary terms. Classified employees will receive a 0.5% ongoing cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) and a one-time COLA payment of 0.82% to be paid in the Oct. 31 paycheck. Employees eligible for step increases will receive the step; the presentation said the average step increase historically equals about 1.67%, producing a typical total compensation movement for eligible employees of roughly 3% when combined with COLA.
Negotiators also changed several operational provisions: payment for employees who "work out of classification" will begin after five days (previously six) and will be retroactive to the first day the higher duties were performed; the agreement replaces Veterans Day as a paid holiday with the last business day before New Year's Eve (to lessen a long unpaid period for some nine-month employees); and the contract clarifies procedures for bereavement leave, prior work-experience credit, premium pay for language skills (with a plan to expand beyond Spanish), and leadership-pay opportunities (allowing up to two per semester in certain roles).
The ratification vote among classified members was 86% yes and 14% no; the most-commented concern in the ratification feedback related to the Veterans Day change. Negotiators said the district and association will continue to explore ways to honor veterans in schools and to look for additional language premium expansion opportunities.
Speakers included Paul Williams (Classified Employees Association president), Milo Shepherd (chief of human resources) and association negotiators who thanked Myla (Mila) Shepherd and district staff for their role in the process.
