14 newly elected BU3 District Bargaining Unit Representatives (DBURs) participated in the July 9-10 meeting of the Statewide Bargaining Advisory Committee.

The participants received written and oral reports from each outgoing BU chair. They received training on the history of SEIU 1000 and the union movement in the US. They heard about the duties of DBURs, bargaining teams and officers of the bargaining unit and they were challenged to return home and continue to organize members in their respective worksites.

Members fought 'flawed' rehabilitation model last year

After complaints from Local 1000's correctional teachers and an independent review, the state has admitted that changes implemented last year to prison education are a step backwards, do not prepare inmates for release and have left classrooms unmanageable for teachers.

Recap of last BU3 SBAC

The quarterly meeting of the SEIU Local 1000 Statewide Bargaining Advisory Committee (SBAC) was held at the Holiday Inn in Sacramento on November 14, 2010.

BU3 (Professional Teachers and Librarians) breakout was held on Sunday, November 14th with these members attending: Mark Barr, Don Marriot, Karen Williams, Bobbie Clifton, Pamm Handel, Gary Pannett, John Kern, Mike Anderson, Larry Huff, Tom Stroud, Kathy Skow, Gary Daniel and Collette Gau-Cunningham.  Claudia Deardorff attended for Pam Smith who was on vacation.  Alex Arnone was the SEIU staff assigned.

By Michael Montgomery
 
State officials are moving to revamp educational classes in prisons across California following widespread complaints that the programs are poorly designed and could leave some inmates ill-prepared for life after release.

A draft report released last week by the California Rehabilitation Oversight Board cited ongoing problems including "increased class size, reduced time in class, administrative paperwork, student turnover, wrongly assigned students, inmate homework, and elimination of some vocational education programs."

Read more at CaliforniaWatch.org >>

View and download all calendars at the bottom of this post.

DJJ calendar

The academic calendar for teachers in the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) was signed by Unit 3 negotiators on Jan. 25. The academic year starts Aug. 1, 2011, and ends July 6, 2012. The beginning of the 2012-13 academic year will be discussed over the following months and be announced no later than Nov. 15, 2011. Until discussions are held, it will remain unknown whether July 30-31, 2012, will be work days (this is reflected on the calendar).

Note: No Personal Leave Program 2010 (PLP) blackout days were proposed by the Education Service Branch of DJJ. The management team reaffirmed its commitment that DJJ teachers should be afforded maximum discretion in the use of furlough and PLP 2010 leave in consideration for pay cuts experienced as a result of both programs.

Local 1000 represents nine different bargaining units and over 95,000 state employees. The power of these numbers enables us to make workplace improvements that make life better for everyone.

This is a summary of the tentative agreement for Unit 3. To learn more about all tentative agreements, visit the Contract Ratification page.

Bargaining Unit 3 (BU3) welcomes new members and officers to its Bargaining Unit Negotiating Committee (BUNC) as a result of a special election on August 15.

Unit 1 continues to monitor the status of 180 Unit 3 employees who transferred last March to Unit 1 positions in lieu of layoff. It's been a difficult transition for many. William Hall, one of about a dozen Unit 1 Statewide Bargaining Advisory Committee (SBAC) members who volunteered to call Unit 3 transfers, says: "They are mourning the loss of their prior teaching positions. The transition to analytical work, and the management style that goes with it, can be a challenge."