Dear Teachers and SSPs,
Thank you for your commitment to our students during the busy end of the semester! As you likely know, DPS and DCTA are in active negotiations on the ProComp Agreement. You can see all updates on our negotiations
here.
DPS and DCTA agree that we need to simplify ProComp and increase teacher compensation. I remain hopeful that we will be able to reach an agreement that ensures all educators at DPS receive fair and competitive compensation by the deadline in mid-January.
In the meantime, you may have questions about what actions you can take in relation to these negotiations. You have a legal right to engage in union organizing activities
, but the general rule of thumb is that it should be in your personal capacity, using personal resources and on your own time. Please see Article 21 of the
DCTA Agreement
for some additional details about these guidelines.
Here a few examples of what that means for you:
- If you send a letter to the community concerning union activities, it should be clear that the source of the communication is you personally and not the school -- this means the letter should not be printed on school letterhead or emailed to parents as part of the school’s newsletter.
- In the above example, district-owned equipment (e.g., office photocopier) and email lists (e.g., family lists) should not be used to copy or distribute the letter.
- During the work day, you can meet with DCTA staff (or your your in-building rep) during planning time or lunch. Under Article 21-1-4 of the contract, you can post material on designated bulletin boards and in teachers' mailboxes as long as you follow the other requirements in that section.
- Outside of work hours, you can organize meetings with the community using school facilities (e.g., school auditorium) as long as you go through the district’s Community Use Office.
- Outside of the work day or during your lunch break, you have a right to engage in advocacy about negotiations, including advocacy posted to your personal social media platforms.
Please know I deeply appreciate our educators’ advocacy and support our teachers’ union. We need an improved compensation system and we are mutually engaged to get there.
Thank you for all you do!
Warmly,
Ron
Ron Cabrera, PhD
