Tuesday evening marked the beginning of your contract negotiations with the district.
Last year’s negotiations proved to be contentious within the first four hours of the first session. The district then hired an outside lawyer to impede bargaining. This union-busting tactic pushed JESPA to an impasse and ended with JESPA’s bargaining team securing a 6% raise for all district ESPs in the mediation process, as well as as a 1% one-time stipend for all qualifying employees.
The first session this year was a change from that contention. This year’s JESPA bargaining chair is Darcy Hassler, para educator at Adams Elementary. Also on the bargaining team at the table were Vicki Flores, JESPA Executive Director; Zander Kaschub, JESPA president and ; Tiffany Beastrom, para educator at Sobesky Academy, Nikki Saunders, health tech at Secrest Elementary; and Sarah Smith, ECIP at Adams Elementary. The district team is led by Amanda Pierorazio, Chief Human Resources Officer.
JESPA’s team presented the interests and solutions that have been heavily discussed by their respective sub-committees. Safety of employees and students features high on the union’s priority list, along with staffing, ending outsourcing, professional development, respect, and pay for bilingual employees who use their language skills on the job.
At all pre-bargaining meetings, JESPA members pointed out that safety and respect are concerns that affect every other interest that will be bargained, such as pay and benefits, staffing, and bilingual pay.
The JESPA team’s solutions presented to the district were specific and included demands for more comprehensive training, audits of staffing levels, minimization of outsourcing, hazard premiums for custodial staff, and much more. You can read the entire document of JESPA’s Interests and Solutions here.
In the team’s closing statement, Kaschub said, “Addressing the issues of safety, staffing, benefits, and respect is not just about fairness—it’s about ensuring the long-term stability and effectiveness of our workforce. When ESPs are supported with the resources, compensation, and recognition we deserve, we can deliver the consistent, high-quality services that our students rely on to thrive.”
After JESPA’s presentation of their Interests and Solutions, the district presented only their Interests. In spite of the inclusion of Solutions on the agenda written by the district team, they did not have theirs prepared. Pierorazio apologized for not coming with more specific solutions related to their interests.
The district’s Interests were vague, lacking any substance that could be used for true bargaining. Each interest section includes reiterations of the phrase “The district bargaining team is committed to a fair and equitable process” followed by each article topic. No specifics were given in regards to the district’s interests. You can read the district’s Interests document here.
The next bargaining session is Dec. 17, 2:00-4:00 p.m., when the district is scheduled to have their solutions. We look forward to those including specific language that can be negotiated at the table.
