Happy Summer! My name is Sandra Larsen and I am the new President for the Petaluma Federation of Teachers. I began my teaching career at Petaluma Junior High in 1993. I taught Home Ec., Life Skills, Science and Leadership. I transferred to Valley Vista in 2000 and have taught multiple grade levels. I have been teaching second grade for the past seven years. I have been active in the Union for the last eight years. I have served on the budget committee, as Treasurer, and Chief Negotiator. It is my hope that we will work together to form a strong voice for the students of Petaluma City Schools.
Please feel free to contact me with your questions, concerns, or problems. You can reach me atndlarsen@comcast.net. You can call or text me at 707-696-5118.
Negotiations Update
We began our first negotiation session this year with great hope. We were eager for a fresh start and truly believed if we worked with administration, we could achieve the best possible result for our members. We agreed to send out a joint communication to our members after each negotiation session. We hoped it would demonstrate our willingness to work together. It has become clear that we need to discontinue this practice and we will, therefore, now send out an independent update to our members after every negotiations session.
The district decided they needed a lawyer to attend each negotiation session. They decided to hire Margaret Merchat, a lawyer who worked with Steve Bolman, for this purpose. Her presence has, unfortunately, had a negative effect on our progress. We are moving at an extremely slow pace. We have reached very few agreements, and as a result, we will begin the new school year without a contract.
We are negotiating a successor agreement, which means we are able to negotiate all sections of the contract. The successor contract will be in effect for two years. We have been advised by CFT, that It is not uncommon to negotiate after the contract has expired when working on a successor agreement. It is our intent and desire to continue to negotiate until we reach an agreement. You will notice some changes in your August paycheck. The onetime 2% money for the 2015-16 school year will not be included. There will be a 1% increase in your strs contribution as well. This will affect your bottom line.
Please know your union is working behind the scenes to insure we get the best contract possible. Executive Council has voted to restart the Contract Campaign Committee. You will be getting more information soon. We all need to be unified and work together until we reach an agreement with the district.
Wishing you all an enjoyable and well -deserved summer break.
In Unity,
Sandra Larsen
PFT President and Chief Negotiator
Please feel free to contact me with your questions, concerns, or problems. You can reach me atndlarsen@comcast.net. You can call or text me at 707-696-5118.
Negotiations Update
We began our first negotiation session this year with great hope. We were eager for a fresh start and truly believed if we worked with administration, we could achieve the best possible result for our members. We agreed to send out a joint communication to our members after each negotiation session. We hoped it would demonstrate our willingness to work together. It has become clear that we need to discontinue this practice and we will, therefore, now send out an independent update to our members after every negotiations session.
The district decided they needed a lawyer to attend each negotiation session. They decided to hire Margaret Merchat, a lawyer who worked with Steve Bolman, for this purpose. Her presence has, unfortunately, had a negative effect on our progress. We are moving at an extremely slow pace. We have reached very few agreements, and as a result, we will begin the new school year without a contract.
We are negotiating a successor agreement, which means we are able to negotiate all sections of the contract. The successor contract will be in effect for two years. We have been advised by CFT, that It is not uncommon to negotiate after the contract has expired when working on a successor agreement. It is our intent and desire to continue to negotiate until we reach an agreement. You will notice some changes in your August paycheck. The onetime 2% money for the 2015-16 school year will not be included. There will be a 1% increase in your strs contribution as well. This will affect your bottom line.
Please know your union is working behind the scenes to insure we get the best contract possible. Executive Council has voted to restart the Contract Campaign Committee. You will be getting more information soon. We all need to be unified and work together until we reach an agreement with the district.
Wishing you all an enjoyable and well -deserved summer break.
In Unity,
Sandra Larsen
PFT President and Chief Negotiator
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