Sign language interpreters in Clovis schools file to become bargaining unit. Why now?
American Sign-Language (ASL) interpreters at Clovis Unified filed a union petition to the Public Employment Relations Board on Monday.
The 28 employees who provide services to 61 deaf and hard-of-hearing students want to be recognized as part of the Association of Clovis Educators, so they can become a bargaining unit and negotiate a contract with the district.
“The whole reason we want to do this is that we want to provide quality American Sign-Language interpreting services for our Deaf and hard-of-hearing community, and that includes students and parents within our community,” said CUSD educational interpreter Staci Houts.
Under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, deaf and hard-of-hearing students must have interpreting services provided to them. As part of the requirement, interpreters should be available to provide support for classes, rallies, sporting events, field trips, concerts and other occasions. Interpreters also sit at the front of board meetings and interpret for parents and the broader community.
The group currently serves 61 students from elementary to high schools.
Houts said the district has a shortage of interpreters and some students are going to classes without the services, which has become a legal issue.
“So (we need) a contract that would increase wages and improve working conditions so those staffing ratios are not deficient,” she said. The goal for the group is to provide a better package so that interpreters can stay and serve students in the long term.
Kelly Avants, Clovis Unified spokesperson, said not all interpreters work eight hours a day, but there is “a range of up to $78,000 for a full-time person near the top of the salary schedule.” The district also pays $15,055 per person per year for the health benefit plan and contributes nearly 27% of an employee’s retirement plan.
CUSD was notified on Monday about the petition submission, said Avants in an emailed reply to The Fresno Bee. There are still several steps between this action and the creation of a new representative group, and the district is still reviewing the information provided, she said.
ACE expects the process will go smoothly, said spokesperson Kristin Heimerdinger. If PERB officially recognizes the bargaining unit, interpreters can schedule bargaining sessions with the district, she said.
This is the second group of educators within ACE that has petitioned for unionization at Clovis Unified. Last June, school psychologists and mental health practitioners successfully landed a “first-ever” union-bargained contract with the district after going through the same process.
Clovis Unified has had a culture of anti-union since its founding superintendent Dr. Floyd Buchanan, said Heimerdinger. To date, Clovis Unified remains to be the state’s largest school district without a teachers’ union.
“We don’t have any limitations on the class sizes on the secondary level,” said Heimerdinger, who teaches at Buchanan High. “I’m teaching 38 and 39 kids in my classes this year… Some districts have P.E. teachers who come in and take students to P.E. classes so elementary teachers can send emails to parents and grade papers during that time, our teachers don’t have any of that right.”
However, the district’s classified employees, such as bus drivers, custodians, and food service workers, have belonged to a union since the 1970s, she added.
“It’s hard because any teacher who works for the district has put up with decades of anti-union language, and they have been told repeatedly that unionized teachers are not good teachers,” said Heimerdinger.
This story was originally published August 24, 2024 at 9:00 AM.
