Classified employees press IUSD to settle contracts; hourly staff warn of CalPERS reporting loss

Classified employees and hourly staff addressed the Irvine Unified School District board, pressing for faster progress in labor negotiations and raising a separate retirement‑reporting concern.

At public comment, a union leader who identified himself as the chapter president said negotiations with the district have lasted more than a year and urged the district to accept a proposal from July 30 that CSEA has already agreed to; the proposal, as described at the microphone, includes a 2% one‑time payment to members. "We are ready to finalize an agreement so we can all focus fully on supporting our students and the community," the speaker said.

Later in public comment Sudha Venkataraman, speaking for classified hourly employees, said hourly workers have not received a pay raise in two years and reported what she described as a CalPERS reporting reduction to 97 percent, which she said results in approximately $5,000 of income not being reported toward retirement for affected members. "We feel undervalued, underrepresented, and cheated by this," she said, urging the board to negotiate raises and ensure full pension accrual.

District response: Trustees acknowledged receipt of the concerns and thanked commenters; the superintendent and board members described ongoing outreach to bargaining groups but did not announce a settlement at the meeting. The speaker for CSEA was identified in the transcript by name and as a union chapter president in his remarks.

Next steps: No ratification occurred at the meeting. Commenters urged the district’s negotiation team and trustees to prioritize closing the outstanding agreements.