When the Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD) announced on August 12 that they had reached a tentative agreement for the 2007-08 school year with the California School Employees Association (CSEA) – Local Chapter 41, Board President Jose Hernandez couldn’t hide his glea. Here is what Hernandez had to say at the time, according to an SAUSD press release:
“We effectively collaborated with CSEA in being able to restore several key full-time positions and bringing back many valued classified employees with benefits. Because of the cooperation and willingness to work together, we can now look forward to the opening of the school year.”
However, on August 23rd one of our readers posted this comment:
For those Classified Employees who voted on the defeat of SAUSD / CSEA Tentative Agreement. We did it! 85% NO VOTES, 15% YES VOTES.
Don’t think we’ll allow you to sell us out again!
Looks like Hernandez blew it. This guy fired his own Aunt, who raised him as her own son, when the classified employee bloodbath ensued. This despite the fact that according to SAUSD Trustee John Palacio the district has the money to keep these folks employed. Many of these folks live in Santa Ana – I am sure they will relish voting for anyone other than Hernandez on Nov. 4.
Though at first blush it sounds quite damning that Hernandez saw fit to oversee his aunt losing her job, I can see where he’d draw fire if he’d let family ties get in the way of doing what had to be done. Having said that, the SAUSD has terrible problems and Nativo Lopez can no longer be the scapegoat.
The biggest fix the board needs to make now is to show the same zeal for redesigning contracts with administration as they have with the teachers; far too much, for far too little, is being paid at the mid to upper levels of the SAUSD admin.
SAUSD is lazy. It’s easy to fire all the workers who are working directly with the students and school sites, because the administration doesn’t see the loss of their “friends” at the DO. This type of slash and burn technique is typical of the SAUSD approach to problem solving.
In the meantime, Pat Machado and Lewis Bratcher have been rehired as high paid “consultants”.
Have any of the administrative positions been eliminated? Let Jane Russo do the job of three people, just like she is asking from the clerical staff that are “lucky” enough to retain their jobs and now must perform miracles of efficiency in their new job descriptions.
Every employee living in Santa Ana should be registered to vote this year and should specifically aim to take out the Board of Education members who have such low regard for the actual work of educating students and keeping students safe. Jane Russo and the BoE only understand hardball tactics. Time to put them on notice.
I am shocked that this administration’s “House of Cards” hasn’t toppled already from it’s own stupidity. But you are right……the voters must take out this top heavy terrorist regime.
How is it these creeps stay in power?
What have they got or what do they know that keeps this fiasco going at the expense of the children?
For years I’ve watched classified and CSEA roll over every time a benefit was cut with an underlying threat of job cuts. This time the job cuts came first and then the negotiations agreement. Finally classified employees realized they were being abused, recalled the union president and by all reports rejected the contract. Better late than never.
Now the district will begin serious hardball tactics and we will have to see if the classified employees are up to the fight or if they will fold as they have done for the past two decades.
SANTA ANA SCHOOL DISTRICT ARE A BUNCH OF ASS H… THEY DONT CARE ABOUT ARE YOUTH THEY JUST CARE OF ABOUT LA FERIA ,LA MULA THE ONLY ONE THAT DOES CARE JOHN PALACIO AND THE REST ARE
LOST IN THE IN THE DARK AND IF THEY DID CARE AOBUT THIS ISSUE THEY WOULD INVEST ARE TAX DOLLARS IN SMART WAY …
THEIR THE ONES THAT NEED BE TAKING THEIR STUPID CALIFORNIA STATE EXIT EXAM A.K.A
(CASHEE)
A LITTLE TIP FOR MR. JOSE HERNADEZ AND THE WHOLE SCHOOL DISTRICT. LESS TALKING AND MORE ACTION.. WORDS DONT SOLVE ISSUES, ACTION DOES !!!
IF CAN’T HADLE THE JOB U SHOULD’T BE IN THOSE SEATS, WARMING THEM IS THE SAME BS. EVERY SCHOOL
YEAR ..
The Union Contract supposedly can only negotiate in order to get MORE for the employee, not less. Somehow, we have all lost site of this important
reason the union is there to begin with. Duane, Pilar, and Hector are good examples of what good union reps are supposed to do. I was wondering how they beat down Margie Strike. It can happen to the best of them.
It is a shame that the teachers have got to be sidetracked by these jerk administrators when they should be happy and productive. Russo just doesn’t get it. Before too long Russo will be gone with her pension in hand, leaving the teachers to once again carry the brunt of the burden. Teachers deserve to be happy for all they do for these kids.
Russo-Olsky have to go. That will save a quarter of a million dollars a year, at least! That doesnt even count their slush fund credit card. A quarter-million, thats probably enough money to put everybody back like they were with health benefits and a raise.
The 15% Yes votes came from Risk Management Terrorist groups and the District Office “Voter Buy Out” Campaign.
# 1-9 have pretty much summed up the situation and I’d like to further comment on the passive nature of employees in SAUSD who have allowed the school system to mistreat them time and again. The common response is to barely react or avoid the bad news. This weak reaction is what SAUSD administrators are used to. They got you where they want you. Crying and confused as Ms. Russo takes away support services for the children and takes away the jobs of their parents.
A voter registration campaign and a solid throw-the-bums-out at election time will be the one solid way to get the attention of Russo and company that things have changed. You will have to come to the realization that you deserve much better than what she has done to you and your kids.
If any of the fired employees are expecting Russo & Co to be reasonable, forget it. She and Hernandez have made it clear that the latest excuse to do their jobs poorly is to have budget difficulties. Devastating services for the school district was an easy decision and it was made quickly after the teachers’ union refused to let Russo abuse its members this coming school year.
John Palacio is the only one consistently fighting for you. The guy is alone on the board, fighting for the kids and SA citizens who deserve better treatment. If you don’t understand the severity of this situation and what has to happen in the November elections, as a collective group, you’re going to continue to be targeted for job elimination. The students will continue to fail, despite any cutesy slogans dreamed up by Russo.
I have heard that union members are assembling a class action suit against their union for non-representation. This is long overdue. However the biggest step towards job security if you work for SAUSD is to show that you are organized and are willing to get out there in big numbers to make permanant changes on the Board of Education during election time. Only then will your children have a chance at getting the best educational services the city can produce as well as respecting dedicated school district employees.
SAUSD can afford to be lazy and make lazy decisions as long as SA citizens allow it. 6
Oh, Russo and Olsky must be wringing their hands with glee upon hearing that the employees are going to sue the union. What idiot lawyer put that idea in their head? One that wants to make some kind of name for themselves so they can get elected to something I’ll bet. Looks like another manipulator trying to take advantage of the employees at SAUSD and waste more money.
Besides, the union is the employees and if it isnt then its because the employees are too busy to stay involved in the day to day minutae of wrestling with the District. Of course you make points with your boss by being against the union so there will be some benefits for those folks.
What I haven’t heard here is what the employees want? What do they need to be in an agreement, or maybe what can’t they have in an agreement? It’s academic to me, I’ve never seen their contract or this agreement. I only know what I read here and in the mainstream media but I’m interested, and definitely a supporter of the school employees.
Of course nothing will be settled in time for the opening of school so of course we will be screwed!!!!
#11
I doubt that Russ/osky relish a pissed off group of employees that take their good-for-nothing union to court. The fact that they are coming out swinging shows gumption.
I can’t imagine a worse breach of service than what has been dealt to the classifieds under Mr. Ralph and co. With a swipe of a pen, the classified workforce in SAUSD was slaughtered without resistance. Tom Harrison gave the same kind of representation (cough, cough) to the teachers with his pushing the multiple year pay cuts. He’s gone and Barton is in. Good riddance to a crummy rep. Barton’s got it. Any union that takes money from its members each month and absolutely shafts them like Harrison did to the teachers and like the current classifieds’ union leader did, deserves to be brought up on charges of failure to perform.
The bigger picture is getting a turn over on the board of education. THAT will send a message to Russolsky and the BoE. Of course, that would also mean that the fired employees will have to follow through and turn out to vote to set SAUSD on the proper track. We’ll all see what happens in November.
#13 I doubt that Russolsky cares if employees are pissed or not. Oh sure they like to go around and say that we are one big happy family but they dont really care if we are or not. If you don’t do the job they’ll just fire you, they wanted to lay you off anyway.
I love it when union members start talking aobut their reps being so bad, it makes it seem like the members dont have anything to do with it. If these members, (about 2,000 right? only 500 voted?) would get involved and stay involved and run their union like it should be. The union is not a cheap lawyer, it’s the members.
If the members can’t get it together long enough to vote down a contract and vote in some board members who will remove Russolsky then they get what they get.
By the way do you think the union rep has a magic wand or something to make things happen the way you want them to? Do you think they get to say ‘no’ to layoffs and they go away? The law says the union doesn’t get to say squat about the decision to eliminate staff through layoff, they only get to negotiate the effects of the elimination of positions but not the decision.
So those you hear blaming this on the union (anon) – those are company stooges. Pick up a rock and hit them with it. I would.
I love it when union members start talking aobut their reps being so bad, it makes it seem like the members dont have anything to do with it.
I think that the class action suit was targeting the union/larger parent organization. Poor Widdle CSEA. Poor Widdle, innocent CSEA….
Sure there are some cowardly, shitty reps out there, but what happened to the classifieds has been a whole system breakdown. The union collects large fees from everyone, month after month, with the promise to give adequate representation to its members. It failed a whole bunch of people recently. Its like extortion. Everyone is paying protection money, but no one is really protected.
The people most affected by the recent cuts can make a difference by voting the bums out. However, if you ask classified employees who live in SA if they are even registered to vote, I think you’d be shocked at how many of them have not bothered to register or vote at all. It’s obvious that they don’t understand how the system works, because if they did, they’d help out poor Mr. Palacio by getting rid of board members who dominate the decision making process- that includes eliminating key workers, while buffing up the numbers of fluff at the top.
I just really don’t think the full impact of what those employees have lost, has hit them yet. It’s going to be a mess, come Thursday, too.
Oh, and one more thing. The executive directors for the unions are cushy, PAID positions, all up and down the statewide chain of PAID union officials. THEY don’t worry about losing their jobs and they are conveniently not held accountable. Call me when the unions organize members to register to vote and target for removal, the lousy board of education members responsible for the firings. Then I’ll consider changing my opinion.
Well a few of our people at our site are gone as of today.. tomorrow in their place are people who are coming with NO notion on how to do the new job. Of course our Principals and VP have no idea what the heck is going on. Tomorrow it will be a mess because they will all of a sudden be caring because their people who did a great job are now GONE! Oh but we have heard them tell the certificated staff ” Our staff is ready and the first day of school will go great!” HA IF you are at a high school and your classified office staff has been cut short then you will see the difference! Of course the Administration will bully the other office staff to help AGAIN where needed..I’m sorry. but this is BS..I guess I don’t get paid enough to sit in a office and just let things take care of itself like they do! Come tomorrow It will be a mess!