Clovis teachers still don’t have a recognized union. Is the union effort in jeopardy?
A little over a year ago, a group of educators in the Clovis Unified School District announced their intentions to form a union — and to make history in the district, which is currently the largest in California without a teachers union.
To date, that group of educators, known as the Association of Clovis Educators, has yet to receive enough signatures to unionize. But their leadership says the fight isn’t over yet.
“As long as there is no exclusive representative designated for all educators in the district, we will continue our work,” ACE spokesperson Kristin Heimerdinger said.
California’s Public Employment Relations Board, or PERB, requires proof of support from 50% plus one out of the employees in the appropriate unit to grant recognition to a union.
For ACE, that means a little over half of the roughly 2,100 educators the district employs, including teachers, psychologists, counselors, and education specialists.
Heimerdinger declined to share how many signatures the group has received so far, citing the group’s commitment to confidentiality of signing.
“We continue to make progress, but obviously, we’ve not yet hit the 50% plus one threshold,” she said.
ACE’s psychologists and mental health professionals have succeeded in their efforts to unionize following a vote in February.
The organization still hopes to expand that representation to other educators in the district, Heimerdinger said.
New and familiar roadblocks
PERB also specifies that signatures supporting unionizing remain valid for one year.
That’s not a big concern for ACE at this time, Heimerdinger said. Some signatures, but not all or even the majority, have expired as a result. In anticipation of turnover heading into the summer and next school year, she said ACE also plans to lose some members while reaching out to new hires.
A bigger concern, she said, is with what she described as “illegal behavior” on the district’s part.
Last June, ACE filed an unfair labor practice claim against Clovis Unified — the first of three against the district. The group also filed a grievance against the district’s Faculty Senate, according to Heimerdinger.
ACE teachers say Clovis Unified has stifled union organizing by influencing and supporting the faculty senate for decades, despite a 1980s ruling that found the district violated the law.
The faculty senate “meets the definition of being a company union,” Heimerdinger said.
District officials continue to challenge such claims.
“We disagree with ACE’s allegations and are thoroughly responding through the PERB hearing process,” district spokesperson Kelly Avants wrote in an email to the Ed Lab Friday afternoon. “We have, and will continue to support and value every one of our employees and their incredible work on behalf of the district for the benefit of our students.”
Hearings before a PERB administrative law judge are in progress and should conclude in the coming months, according to Heimerdinger.
The Education Lab is a local journalism initiative that highlights education issues critical to the advancement of the San Joaquin Valley. It is funded by donors. Learn about The Bee’s Education Lab at its website.
This story was originally published April 10, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
