At times it is necessary to make minor changes/additions to the Collective Bargaining Agreement (Contract) between full bargaining years. These are called MOA or MOU’s, Memorandum of Agreement or Memorandum of Understanding. Within the last year or two there have been several benefits to the teachers that needed a legal contract with the Association and would fall under the Contract. An example would be the ability of SVSD to pay teachers for supporting students or taking training on teacher days and getting paid for it. Without an agreement that your other duties would be done at another time, this would be a gift of public funds and illegal.
Under our current SVEA Constitution and By-laws each of these actions (MOA’s & MOU’s) needed to come to the entire body for a vote. That would be 5 or 6 times in the last two years convening a general membership meeting and vote. It has been moved, seconded and voted favorably on by the Representative Council, that the Exec. Board and the Representative Council give direction to the President when these come up within our contract years.
Here are the changes to Article XI – Ratification of Agreement and Authorization of Strikes, Section 2.
“Ratification of amendments to the negotiated agreement shall occur at general membership meetings regularly scheduled building representative council meetings.”
The entire SVEA Constitution & By-laws (without the most recent change) are posted on the SVEA website.