Berkeley Unified School District Ratifies Tentative Agreement with Wins on Several Issues

We are pleased to announce that Local 21’s Berkeley Unified School District Unit (BUSD) has ratified a Tentative Agreement with the District on a limited contract reopener.


BUSD signed a 2-year MOU extension in 2016 with a second-year reopener in June 2017. The rest of the contract is still in full effect until June 2018.


The Tentative Agreement was better than expected, given that the budget is in rough shape this year.


We strengthened contract language on several key issues, including a huge increase in bilingual pay, which will now be $1,200 a year. Bilingual pay was previously based on decades-old antiquated personnel rules.


We were also able to bargain a richer Acting Pay benefit and 5 “Flex Days” in addition to other paid leave. These “Flex Days” are meant to recognize the long hours our members put in while on the job.


Members were pleased with the Tentative Agreement, and are preparing for full negotiations this spring. The full contract expires in June 2018.


A special thank you to Local 21 Representative/ Organizer Angela Long, and BUSD Bargaining Team members Steve Collins and Francisco Martinez.