After Long Negotiations, Berkeley School District and Union Reach Agreement

A fact-finding panel brought in to assist with talks between the Berkeley Unified School District and one of its unions finally led to a contract breakthrough -- after three years of negotiations.

The district and the Berkeley Council of Classified Employees, which represents 590 employees, hammered out the details of an agreement on Wednesday.

“We entered into the fact-finding phase early on Tuesday morning, and everyone worked together nonstop until we were able to reach a tentative agreement at 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday,” Superintendent Donald Evans said in a prepared statement. “It was a productive process.”

While the two sides had worked out a number of issues prior to this week, they could not agree on the district’s proposed transfer policy allowing it to shift employees between various job sites. The proposal put forward by the fact-finding team included language that offered protections to workers.

The two sides had also disagreed on the amount employees would pay for their health care. The district agreed to increase its contribution by $60 a month, starting in January 2015.

The two sides also agreed on wage packages. Employees will get a 2.5 percent pay increase retroactive to July 1, 2013. They also got a 2 percent increase starting July 1. The increase applies to all areas of compensation -- salaries, longevity merit pay, stipends and professional growth salary awards.

The Berkeley Council of Classified Employees (BCCE) represents employees who perform a variety of duties, such as classroom and office technical support, custodial and facilities maintenance, nutrition services, school safety, transportation and other school-related support services.

The district and the union have been trying to reach an agreement for three years. The Public Employees Relations Board declared an impasse in January and appointed a mediator from the State Mediation and Conciliation Service in February. When the mediator failed to settle the outstanding issues, the two sides decided in August to turn negotiations over to a fact-finding panel.

Union members and the school board must vote on the proposals before the new contract can go into effect.