Clovis Educators File Second Labor Complaint Against District
CLOVIS – The Association of Clovis Educators (ACE) has filed a request for immediate injunctive relief with the California Public Employment Relations Board, claiming Clovis Unified’s continued financial support and control of the Faculty Senate violates state labor law. ACE asserts in the complaint that the district’s Faculty Senate functions as an illegal “company union” which interferes with Clovis educators’ rights to form a union without interference from district Administration.
CONTACT: Kristin Heimerdinger, 559-970-5450 or kheimerdinger@gmail.com
ACE seeks injunctive relief against Clovis Unified for continuing to illegally support Faculty Senate as a “company union”
CLOVIS – The Association of Clovis Educators (ACE) has filed a request for immediate injunctive relief with the Public Employment Relations Board, claiming Clovis Unified’s continued financial support and control of the Faculty Senate violates state labor law.
ACE asserts in the complaint that the district’s Faculty Senate functions as an illegal “company union” which interferes with Clovis educators’ rights to form a union without interference from district Administration.
The complaint, which PERB received late Tuesday, requests that state board step in immediately to stop the district from favoring, financially supporting and falsely misrepresenting the Faculty Senate as a representative body of teachers.
The claim also accuses Clovis Unified of interfering with ACE’s legally protected right to organize through an ongoing misinformation and surveillance campaign that includes the monitoring of emails.
“Clovis students and schools will be best served by an independent voice that truly represents educators – and that is why we are working so hard to organize authentic representation for educators through the Association of Clovis Educators. The district’s Faculty Senate claims to represent teachers but in fact is illegally supported, beholden, and manipulated by the district for its purposes,” said Kristin Heimerdinger, a Buchanan High School teacher and ACE spokesperson.
The claim also accuses CUSD of controlling and supporting the district’s Faculty Senate by:
- Paying the Faculty Senate President a full salary and benefits while released from teaching
- Providing the Faculty Senate President a car and office space
- Providing the Faculty Senate with space on the district’s website and access
- Administering Faculty Senate elections
- Providing the Faculty Senate with a budget and credit card and a monetary stipend
- Providing counsel, accounting services and legal advice to the Faculty Senate
to the District’s email system to communicate with all Clovis educators
Clovis Unified School District is one of the last large school districts in California without a union that represents educators.
“We are building ACE because we believe that it is vital that local educators have a real say in decision-making so we can advocate for Clovis students and schools. We need educator input on decisions that impact classrooms such as class size and more student support services such as counselors and special education support. ACE is that independent voice,” Heimerdinger said.
In June, ACE filed its initial unfair practice charges with PERB regarding Clovis Unified School District’s support and control of its Faculty Senate, claiming the way the district represents the Faculty Senate’s scope and power, uses district resources and undermines educators’ voices violates state labor law. That complaint is still pending.
Recently, Clovis school psychologists made history by filing for union recognition at PERB, a historical first for these certificated employees.
For more information about ACE, go to cloviseducators.org.