To: SEA Bargaining Unit

From: Alex Anguiano, SEA President

Re: RIF Procedures

Date: February 12, 2010

This past week, 1206 of our bargaining unit members received a letter from the District indicating the credential information and seniority date that the District has on file. (I also received such a letter.) We have been asked to check the accuracy of the information. Bargaining unit members hired since 1/01/01, all nurses, all librarians, and teachers with certain credentials received the letter.  

The District is preparing for RIF (reduction in force) procedures. Layoffs of permanent or probationary certificated employees must be preceded by a notice of potential layoff, which must be received by the employee no later than March 15, followed by a hearing at the teachers request and a final decision on the layoff by the school board no later than May 15. I have been informed that the school board will be acting on March 8 to issue potential layoff notices to approximately 70 FTE (full time equivalent) SEA bargaining unit members. Since the District has begun the process of exercising a legal right that is available to them, so must we.

SEA will be hosting a series of meetings to prepare our members for the hearings that will be available to them. We will be working collaboratively with our fellow South County CTA chapters in this process. 

• February 23, 2010: SEA Rep Council - we will review the RIF process with our site reps. 
• March 11 and March 12:  SCTU will host meetings with members who will be going through the RIF process. We recommend that all members who receive a layoff notice request a hearing. These meetings will be at the South County Teachers United office.
• March 19: Affected members will meet with our legal counsel. This meeting is tentatively scheduled to be at Hilltop High. 
• April 5 and April 6: The actual RIF hearing will be held the district office.

Please note: We can only represent CTA members at these hearings. Non-members must become members before the District issues layoff notices if they desire CTA representation.

On March 4, activities are being planned statewide to spotlight the devastation that the fiscal crisis and our State’s budget system has had on education. We are now 50^th in the nation in per pupil funding. Last. I am requesting that you participate in the before school activity at your site. (Details to follow.) I am also requesting that you wear pink on this day in support of our membership that will be going through the RIF process.