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June 16, 2022
Dear staff at HTH schools,
We know many people got their contracts this week and have gotten a lot of questions about that, so wanted to send what we know.
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Should I sign this contract?
You can sign this without worrying that it locks you into anything (even if you need to figure out if you are at the right salary.) When our bargaining teams finally agree on a new contract, it will supersede this (and the bargaining team is continuing to work hard to make that happen ASAP). If you don’t sign the contract by the deadline, it could be viewed as a resignation, so there’s no harm in signing it if you do intend to return.
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Why is the salary still based on the old salary scale?
Since we are still in the process of bargaining our first union contract, until the bargaining teams reach an agreement HTH has given contracts based on the current salary schedule.
As soon as we come to an agreement on a contract and it is ratified, the new salary scale will immediately replace this one. We know it is frustrating to get to June without a new contract - this is why we have been trying to pick up the pace of bargaining all school year!
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Why didn't I get any raise this year?
You will notice that steps 1-7 on the current salary scale are exactly the same. That is the new state minimum. In December the board decided to unilaterally raise salaries of all staff below the state minimum. (The alternative would have been paying those staff overtime.) This meant that any newer teachers (approximately half our staff) saw increases on their paychecks starting in January... but it also means that until we bargain a more equitable salary schedule, there are no raises at all within those first 7 years.
(This decision by the board broke labor law, which is why we filed an Unfair Labor Practice.)
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See something that doesn't make sense? Didn't get a contract?
Reach out to HR, especially if you see you are not on the correct step and column - this will prevent delays in getting the correct salary once we have a new contract! You can also reach out to your site representative with questions.
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When will we get our new union contract??
The good news is that it looks like we are getting very close to an agreement. At last night's board meeting, we had a lot of parents and staff speak up in support of HTEC's bargaining priorities - particularly about the importance of equitable pay and stable schools. (Employment status is currently the biggest sticking point at the bargaining table.) Staff, families, and students have been sharing testimonials and families just launched a petition in support of teachers. If you have words to share about how the current system is impacting you, your family, and your students, please share them with us - anonymously or not! We hope to convey the urgency of bargaining a fair contract - especially in these final days of school.
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Save the date:
- Wednesday, June 29th is our next scheduled bargaining sessions, though the two bargaining teams are trying to schedule one more session before that time (to hopefully make more progress before summer.)
- July 24-28th: CTA Summer Institute is a conference at UCLA to connect, brainstorm, and learn alongside other charter educators. We have funding for a few more people to go - if you are interested, email ASAP!
- Saturday, August 6th will be our HTEC August Retreat to begin brainstorming and planning for the upcoming school year. Want to be more involved in the union? Have some good ideas to share? Come and join us! We'll be sending out more information later this summer.
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In Solidarity,
The High Tech Education Collective
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