After months of negotiating with the Glendora Teachers Association, the Glendora Unified School District jointly signed a tentative agreement Monday, August 10, which would effectively amount to retroactive salary increases for union members.
An increase of 3 percent retroactive to July 1, 2014 would be applied to all bargaining unit employees during the 2014-15 school year. A retroactive salary increase of 4 percent would be permanently applied to the 2015-16 certificated salary schedule, according to an email written by GTA President Katy Mendoes.
The teacher work year for 2015-2016 would increase by two days, amounting to an additional 1.1 percent increase, altogether compounding to an 8.25 percent increase for the two years, Mendoes said in the email obtained by GCN.
The tentative agreement also would provide a $250 wellness incentive and an increase of $113 to the annual district paid cap for medical benefits.
The agreement comes just days before the start of the school year.
“[The] bargaining team did the very best it could on this settlement,” Mendoes said in the email to union members.
The district is satisfied that both sides can move forward.
“We are very pleased that the bargaining teams were able to achieve a tentative agreement before the start of school. Our teachers do great work and having this settled will allow them to focus on the extraordinary things they do in their classrooms,” said Rob Voors, Glendora Unified superintendent.
School Board member Cory Ellenson echoed those thoughts by adding “I’m so glad that all of our teachers are starting the 2015-16 school year today with a well-deserved pay raise”
The GTA had previously asked for a 9 percent raise for the 2014-2015 academic year and beyond, combined with a 4 percent raise for 2016-2017 and beyond. The district continually countered with an offer of 2.5 percent for 2014-2015 and beyond.
GTA members picketed throughout the Glendora Village in March, all the way to the district headquarters where they packed a board of education meeting to vocalize their displeasure just weeks after both sides had declared impasse February 5.
The tentative agreement will next be distributed to the GTA membership for ratification.
Zak Bushey contributed to this story.
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