May 2024 UAOS Newsletter

We encourage everyone to attend our events and meetings to stay informed about the latest UAOS news and updates. Making a union membership investment can change your life. Becoming a UAOS member is easier than ever before:

Executive Director’s Welcome

May 3, 2024

This has been a challenging year both internationally and here at home. We cannot help but to be impacted by the suffering of people, even those who are a world away.

So many people are living with deep pain and despair, and sometimes we may feel helpless in the face of such sorrow, but what continues to be true is that Oakland’s children are here, in our schools, and they deserve a quality education.

You have stepped up, time and time again, to support them.

But, in order for your work to be sustainable, your needs must be addressed.

You need competitive wages, a reasonable workload, and a safe, respectful working environment. The UAOS Negotiations Team is working diligently to provide this for you. You deserve nothing less.

As we close out another school year, I'd like to take this opportunity to acknowledge your work and commitment to Oakland. Thank you!

Moyra Contreres, UAOS Executive Director

HONORING UAOS MEMBERS

SERVING IN NUTRITION SERVICES

100% Club

The 100% club features UAOS members in job classes that have accomplished 100% of eligible members enrolled. This quarter, we salute OUSD’s nutrition services employees for 100% membership and showing how we are #STRONGERTOGETHER What is the 100% club?

Did you know? OUSD Nutrition Services serves 9,312 breakfasts, 8,200 lunches, and 8,500 supper snacks every school day for students free of charge! Our members fill the daily food orders and ensure that the sites have what they need. Many of our students depend on the hot food they receive daily from their school. This work is essential in supporting kids’ academic achievement as well as their overall health and well-being. UAOS is proud to support and represent the following employees of OUSD Nutrition Services:

Donnie Barcliff

Roslynn Decuir

Sodalin Kaing

Cassaundra Reed

Sharlette Rodgers

Eve Vuillemainroy

* Terry Cleveland

* Nancy Deming

* Ann Lopez

* Lavell Renfro

* Eyana Spencer

* William Taylor

NegotiationsUpdate

The UAOS Negotiations Team has been working for over a year to secure a fair, respectful contract for our members; a contract with competitive salaries which allows OUSD to attract and retain the administrators Oakland students deserve. Currently OUSD pays the lowest salaries in the Bay Area.

Read more about the UAOS Negotiations Survey: bit.ly/negotiationssurvey

Article 4-Hours of Work

Article 5- Vacations and nonWorkdays, Holidays and Leaves of Absence

Article 12- Salary Compensation

Article 27- Safety

Article 29- Professional Development

Lee Thomas: Union President and CSM at Markham Elementary

UAOS sat down with Lee Thomas, outgoing union president and current Community School Manager. Lee served UAOS as President for 7 Years!

There is no such thing as a typical day because you just don't know how the day will unfold It could be restorative justice work with our youth, to supporting families to access social service needs, to creating systems and ensuring the systems that are already in place will support a functional school

CSMs are important to be represented in UAOS because they hold many hats. One important wing that CSMs take on is supporting students with social emotional issues A CSM's perspective is invaluable because we are able to offer the nuanced understandings of what’s going on, on the school grounds and off campus.

OUSD is in a unique position to have 90 CSMs serve the district’s diverse population throughout Oakland. CSMs are on the frontlines- bridging educational inequities that directly relate to the classroom experience from public transportation to food and clothing insecurity, to instability in the home life CSMs are the glue to addressing the needs of a whole child.

I hold my full-time job but at any breaks throughout the day, I take care of anything that might come up as president. Ideally, I handle most of my President/CFO responsibilities after school, whether it's reviewing organizational finances or facilitating the monthly board meetings

I wish everyone knew the power of a union. We compile the 1% deduction to support the organization’s collective action We represent members who might be represented unfairly in meetings with their supervisor. When you need us, we are there to support members in their positions.

Lee Thomas: Union President and CSM at Markham Elementary

One thing union members might not know about me: I have served as an elected government official in the past! Gaining experience in government taught me the need for participatory advocacy, especially in a process like bargaining

Serving as UAOS President or joining as a board member of the union requires you to go above and beyond You have to be willing to sacrifice and budget in some time, to put in the work necessary, to help the organization carry out its mission, and long-term goals to be stable. You are stepping up to the plate as a servant leader and committing to make a better work environment for fellow school leaders. You are leading the union to give direction to OUSD The biggest challenge coming in as president 7 years ago was starting from ground zero and ramping up a communications technology infrastructure to plan for and sustain the evolving future. of UAOS.

L’ve had to move the needle on increasing access to membership participation and board engagement opportunities. Members needs to know what is being discussed on behalf of them and two-way communication requires digital mobility I am proud to prioritize organizational communications like the UAOS website and newsletter during my term I also led UAOS in staffing up two positions which has propelled the union to new heights.

It’s difficult to lead in uncertain times, but you must have trust and confidence in yourselves and your decisions. Although change is incremental, we can see our vision through by moving with integrity, moral reasoning and unity through the shared governance process

Having an active union means everyone is on board in demanding fair compensation, safe working conditions and protective representation for the labor we provide as Oakland articipate in

What

did UAOS do for members in the 2023- 2024 school year?

UAOS was founded in 1988 as the exclusive representative of OUSD administrators Our legal standing allows us to negotiate wages, benefits, workplace conditions, health and safety, professional development, and other work-related issues. We represent individual members, when necessary, to ensure that OUSD acts fairly, legally, honors contractual rights, and treats members with respect.

UAOS employs a full-time Administrative Engagement Coordinator (Grace Pang) and a .8 Executive Director (Moyra Contreras).

The UAOS Executive Director welcomed administrators back by visiting every OUSD school in the fall.

She provided individual support to 84 members with issues such as workplace harassment, representation during investigations, grievance support, violations regarding job duties, pay and benefits issues, legal matters, representation during disciplinary actions, support during reassignments, and concerns related to a hostile work environment. Many of these issues required multiple meetings and coordination of different departments.

2023-2024 ImpactRecap

The Executive Director attended all of the UAOS/OUSD Negotiations meetings.

She represented UAOS on the following Boards:

OUSD Annuity Board (and attended the yearly conference)

Chabot Space and Science Center

CAUSA (California Association of Urban School Administrators) and attended the yearly conference

She also attended the monthly Principal Advisory Committee meetings and the associated planning meetings.

The President represented UAOS at the Health Benefits and Governance Board (HBGB).

What else was accomplished this year?

UAOS secured a $10,000 payment for members in December

An additional $5,000 will be paid by fall of 2024

We have a new logo and new T-shirts

We adopted a mission statement for the first time

We have increased our membership to over 340 members

We have a UAOS Member Handbook

We hosted a Winter Celebration at The Agave Uptown Restaurant in Oakland

We hired a new Administrative Engagement Coordinator

We continue to work diligently to win our members a fair contract.

UAOS is phasing out our current email domain uaosunited com in favor of a new domain, uaosoakland.org. This transition will allow us to better align our email infrastructure with our evolving needs and improve communication efficiency across the organization.

Starting May 24, 2024, all email communication will be sent and received using our new domain (uaosoakland.org.) Emails sent to or from addresses using the old domain (uaosunited.com) will no longer be accessible.

Update Contacts: Please take a moment to update your contact lists, address books, and any automated systems that utilize our email addresses to reflect the new domain.

Forwarding: We will implement forwarding measures for a limited time to help transition smoothly. However, we encourage you to update your contacts as soon as possible to prevent any disruptions.