Fremont teacher union gets new contract, ending strike threat

FREMONT Following weeks of negotiations the Fremont Unified School District and its teachers union have agreed on a new three-year contract ending the threat of a feasible strike The new contract inked Wednesday includes salary and benefit increases but did not address the Fremont Unified District Teachers Association s complaints of overcrowded classrooms With just a month left in this school year Fremont teachers are disappointed that the new deal did not include such caps on class sizes the union disclosed in a message Teachers and supporters rallied several times outside of the district s office to demand higher pay more manageable class sizes and money from the district to see a expert We are committed to the long battle here If our board and superintendent is showing us that they aren t even able to discuss the class caps we need we have specific work to do here in terms of leadership in the district commented Cara Coleman a Fremont instructor and union chairwoman The contract includes a salary increase retroactive from July through the end of this June with full dental coverage a salary increase beginning July and a salary increase effective Jan with a annual wellness care contribution from the district Zack Larsen the Fremont district s superintendent thanked both sides for their collaboration throughout this complex process The tentative agreement comes after the district and union exhausted all negotiating options reaching an impasse and requiring a state mediator to issue a fact-finding assessment with recommendations on how to settle things The union s three-year contract expired in June an impasse was declared in November and in February a fourth mediation attempt again was unsuccessful We have invariably held firm that our educators deserve meaningful compensation and benefits Larsen commented in a declaration posted to the district s website District leadership understands the costs of living in the Bay Area and remains committed to investing in our teachers Larsen did not forthwith respond to a request for comment Thursday afternoon Barth Paine a district spokesman declared in a report that FUSD still has specific issues to work through particularly a thorough examination of secondary and special instruction class size After the district reversed its previous stance against contributing to teachers healthcare costs he added the district will still need to make budget reductions to remain fiscally solvent Fremont teachers whose salaries are selected of the highest in the Bay Area have since paid their own way for healthcare At the moment Fremont teachers can make a yearly salary of to based on experience according to the district s latest pay schedule I am proud of our members union president Vicky Chon noted in a announcement We stood strong rallying and standing strong together for each other and for our group We did have specific wins but at the end of the day the class size issues our members are passionate about were not issues the district yearned to discuss