Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Fact-Finder to FUSD and Teachers Union: You Both Are Terrible Negotiators
NANCY WEBSITE HEADSHOT 1
By Nancy Price, Multimedia Journalist
Published 1 year ago on
October 18, 2023

Share

Barring a last-minute resolution to the current impasse over the proposed contract, Fresno teachers are scheduled to take a strike authorization vote starting at 5:30 p.m. today in the Paul Paul Theatre at the Fresno Fairgrounds.

But given the missteps and poor behaviors on both sides cited by a state-appointed mediator, the lack of a contract at this point may not be altogether surprising.

The Public Employment Relations Board fact-finder report released Monday by Fresno Unified School District includes numerous pointed criticisms aimed at both the district and the Fresno Teachers Association. The union represents nearly 4,200 teachers, many of whom are expected to cast ballots tonight.

Both sides engaged in disrespectful and untrustworthy behavior during the September fact-finder hearing, the report said.

In addition, prior to the September hearing the two sides had engaged in dozens of sessions. But given the huge number of unresolved issues submitted to the fact-finder panel, “it was as if the parties had not bargained in the year that they met over 30 times,” the report said.

The fact-finder panel was commissioned by PERB after the two sides declared their talks were at an impasse in June. Its head was Donald Raczka, identified as an “impartial chairperson.” He was joined by John Gray of School Services of California, the “employer” panel member, and Mitch Olson of the California Teachers Association, the “union” panel member. The district and union had agreed on Raczka’s selection as the chair.

Interest-Based Bargaining a Flop?

The report, authored by Raczka, noted that the number of open items that were as yet unsettled were “astounding to read and far too numerous to recite in this document.”

The district and union had attempted to use interest-based bargaining for the new three-year pact, but both apparently lacked sufficient training in how to conduct such bargaining, which is successful by sharply focusing on single items instead of long lists of issues, the report said.

The untrustworthy behaviors noted by the report included the district’s failure to maintain confidentiality of an informal suggested settlement that was leaked to GV Wire.

The report also noted that FTA President Manuel Bonilla and Executive Director Louis Jamerson “chose to leave the hearing after their presentation, even though they were an essential part of the Association bargaining team.”

Both sides will need to change their behaviors if they plan to attempt interest-based bargaining in the future, the report said:

“In his short time with the parties, the Chair witnessed behaviors that were antithetical to establishing trust, the needed foundation of an Interest Based System. … It is no surprise that Interest Based Bargaining was unsuccessful with disrespectful behaviors such as these two examples. Clearly the parties, though expressing a desire to return to an Interest Based approach, have much to learn. Acting in a trustworthy manner is paramount to the success of this style of bargaining.”

FUSD and FTA officials did not respond to a request for comment about the fact-finder’s criticisms about their negotiations.

Final Fact Finding Report

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Fashion Fair’s Forever 21 to Close. ‘Still a Ways to Go,’ Says Employee

DON'T MISS

Who Runs Elon Musk’s DOGE? Not Musk, the White House Says.

DON'T MISS

New Self-Pollinating Almond Tree Could Be Huge for a Big Fresno Cash Crop

DON'T MISS

Madera County Secures First Fentanyl-Related Homicide Conviction

DON'T MISS

Musk Team Seeks Access to IRS System With Taxpayers’ Records

DON'T MISS

Bannon Calls Musk a ‘Parasitic Illegal Immigrant’

DON'T MISS

Fresno Weather Forecast: Pretty as a Postcard

DON'T MISS

Kennedy Says ‘Nothing’ Off-Limits in Scrutinizing Chronic Disease

DON'T MISS

Judge Declines to Immediately Block Elon Musk or DOGE From Federal Data or Layoffs

DON'T MISS

NBA Playoff Race Heats Up as All-Star Break Ends

UP NEXT

Fresno Unified Hires Firm for National Superintendent Search

UP NEXT

Fresno Sub Teacher’s Immigration Queries of Students Spark Board Meeting Outrage

UP NEXT

Trump’s Pick for Education Chief Outlines Plan to Dismantle Department

UP NEXT

250 Fresno Unified Bus Driver Jobs at Risk, Teachers Fear 12% Pay Cuts

UP NEXT

CA Schools Still Fall Behind Despite Big Increases in Spending

UP NEXT

Fresno Unified Substitute Questions Students About Immigration Status

UP NEXT

Saint Agnes to Expand Teaching for Clovis Med School Students

UP NEXT

After Criminal Case Tossed, Madec Fights to Get Fresno CC Classroom Job Back

UP NEXT

Musk’s Efficiency Cuts Slash $900 Million from Federal Education Research Office

UP NEXT

Fresno Students Entering the Work World Need Your Help to ‘Dress the Part’

Nancy Price,
Multimedia Journalist
Nancy Price is a multimedia journalist for GV Wire. A longtime reporter and editor who has worked for newspapers in California, Florida, Alaska, Illinois and Kansas, Nancy joined GV Wire in July 2019. She previously worked as an assistant metro editor for 13 years at The Fresno Bee. Nancy earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Her hobbies include singing with the Fresno Master Chorale and volunteering with Fresno Filmworks. You can reach Nancy at 559-492-4087 or Send an Email

Madera County Secures First Fentanyl-Related Homicide Conviction

13 hours ago

Musk Team Seeks Access to IRS System With Taxpayers’ Records

13 hours ago

Bannon Calls Musk a ‘Parasitic Illegal Immigrant’

13 hours ago

Fresno Weather Forecast: Pretty as a Postcard

13 hours ago

Kennedy Says ‘Nothing’ Off-Limits in Scrutinizing Chronic Disease

13 hours ago

Judge Declines to Immediately Block Elon Musk or DOGE From Federal Data or Layoffs

13 hours ago

NBA Playoff Race Heats Up as All-Star Break Ends

14 hours ago

NASCAR’s Jeff Gordon Talks ‘Days of Thunder’ Sequel With Tom Cruise

14 hours ago

Adames Joins Giants, Excited to Team Up With Gold Glover Chapman

14 hours ago

Leonard Peltier Released After Biden Commuted Sentence in FBI Agents’ Killings

15 hours ago

Fashion Fair’s Forever 21 to Close. ‘Still a Ways to Go,’ Says Employee

Signs hung throughout fast-fashion clothing store Forever 21 show discounts ranging from 10% to 40% off the “entire store.” And,...

10 hours ago

10 hours ago

Fashion Fair’s Forever 21 to Close. ‘Still a Ways to Go,’ Says Employee

11 hours ago

Who Runs Elon Musk’s DOGE? Not Musk, the White House Says.

12 hours ago

New Self-Pollinating Almond Tree Could Be Huge for a Big Fresno Cash Crop

Fentanyl M30 Pills
13 hours ago

Madera County Secures First Fentanyl-Related Homicide Conviction

13 hours ago

Musk Team Seeks Access to IRS System With Taxpayers’ Records

FILE — Steve Bannon speaks to reporters outside State Supreme Court in Manhattan, Feb. 11, 2025. Stephen Bannon, a top adviser during President Trump’s first term and a key figure among his supporters, said Elon Musk wants to “play-act as God” as part of his push to overhaul the federal government. (Jefferson Siegel/The New York Times)
13 hours ago

Bannon Calls Musk a ‘Parasitic Illegal Immigrant’

13 hours ago

Fresno Weather Forecast: Pretty as a Postcard

13 hours ago

Kennedy Says ‘Nothing’ Off-Limits in Scrutinizing Chronic Disease

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend