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We're back!

After a much needed summer break, educators are diving back in to plan the school year.

The good news is that since this time last year, we have grown in people power! Our union officially represents over 700 certificated and classified staff at our schools. While classified staff are beginning the process of preparing bargaining priorities, certificated staff are nearing the end of the process of bargaining their first union contract - a contract that ensures High Standards for High Tech!

The bad news is that even the positive changes we have already agreed upon cannot go into effect until that contract is ratified. There are a few small but important sticking points in negotiations. Until we reach an agreement, staff are stuck with the same unsustainable working conditions and inequitable pay that led us to organize in the first place.

Here are three things you can do this week to show that reaching an agreement is a priority:

Attend the first HTH Board Meeting of the year

Attending board meetings lets the board know that we are paying attention to the decisions being made. If you can sign up to speak, please urge the Board to prioritize time at the bargaining table so we can reach an agreement as soon as possible.

Take a look at our remaining sticking points in bargaining. Is it particularly important to you to have clear and transparent layoff and transfer policies in our contract? What about access to a neutral arbitrator (rather than the CEO) in the event of an unjust firing? If so, share why that matters to you!

HTH Regular Board Meeting
Wednesday, August 17
5:00pm

Agenda & Zoom Link

Please email jpetreyjuarez@hightechhigh.org by 4 p.m. on August 16th if you would like to speak during Public Comment.

Show union solidarity at our All Staff day on Friday!

This coming Friday schools will get a chance to be together in the same space. At our last All Staff day, showing off so much BLUE was a way to show each other and administration our strength as a Collective.

We will have shirts and lots of buttons to pass out on Friday - come and get some union swag if you don't have it already!

Stay involved & stay informed!

Staff, make sure you connect with your site rep, and take our Fall 2022 survey to make sure we have the correct contact information for you! Regardless of which way bargaining goes, we want to make sure we have the correct information for you. Our site representatives will be sharing important information at each school about our strategic plan for this Fall, and what the next steps would be for either ratifying a new contract or heading toward a strike vote.

Fall 2022 Staff Survey

Families and community members, we'll be holding a town hall in early September. By then we will have a clearer vision of where negotiations are at and will be able to share our plan for next steps. In the meantime, please reach out if you can help spread the word at school events this Fall! Encourage other families to follow our social media and sign up for our updates so they can stay in the loop.

Save the date:

Wed, Aug 17, 5:00pm - HTH Board Meeting
Fri, Aug 19: Wear union swag to All Staff day!
Friday, Aug 26: Wear blue for bargaining day!
Monday, Sept 12: HTEC Town Hall - details TBD

See our shared public calendar for ongoing reminders:

HTEC Shared Calendar

In Solidarity,

The High Tech Education Collective

Please help share this information! We know that our contact lists are not yet complete (and that we are all buried in emails!) but we feel strongly that everyone should have access to information.

Stay in the loop and connect with us elsewhere: