Quick Take
Pajaro Valley Unified School District students return Wednesday with their teachers and district still at an impasse over a new contract. Negotiations have now moved into fact-finding, bringing the sides closer to a potential strike vote if they remain unable to reach a deal.
As Pajaro Valley Unified School District students prepare to return to school Wednesday, the district and its teachers union are working through the next stage of contract negotiations after months of bargaining failed to produce an agreement.
The sides are working through the fact-finding point of the impasse process, with teachers bargaining for better compensation, lower class sizes and special education caseloads, and fighting against a proposed cap on the district’s contribution to their healthcare costs.
“Ultimately, we don’t want to strike,” said Brandon Diniz, president of the Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers. “We want to get the best contract for our students and staff, but we also need to be prepared if the district pushes us into a strike.”
After the union announced April 29 that it was at an impasse with the district, it entered mediation as regular negotiation methods stopped progressing. Diniz said the sides held meetings June 29 and 30 with a third-party mediator but were unable to come to an agreement, so they entered the fact-finding phase.
In the fact-finding stage, a panel is formed with three members, including one person representing the district, one teachers union member and one mediator. The panel reviews the evidence and arguments of the parties and issues recommendations to reach a settlement. If no agreement is reached, the district can propose a final offer. If no agreement has been reached after the final offer, the union can vote on whether to authorize a strike.
Diniz told Lookout that the parties have each selected their representatives and are selecting a third-party mediator. If they’re unable to agree on a third panelist, the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB), the state agency that oversees labor issues, will appoint a panelist.
For months, the union has held rallies and demanded during bargaining sessions that the district retract its proposal to impose a health benefits cap and a 7% salary increase over three years. The union says the benefits cap amounts to a pay cut and has repeatedly said it will not accept any cap.
District spokesperson Alejandro Chávez told Lookout via email that after the parties have had time reviewing the fact-finding report, they’ll release it to the public.
“Our priority remains reaching a fair, sustainable agreement that supports our educators while maintaining the district’s long-term financial stability and service to our students,” he wrote.
On Monday morning, Diniz said about 175 members rallied in support of their bargaining demands at the intersection of Green Valley Road and Main Street in Watsonville, near the Crossroads Shopping Center. They held signs like, “I don’t want to strike, but I will,” and “A cap on benefits is a forever cut!”
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