Board approves tentative agreements with unions to address Empower payroll impacts
May 24, 2022 | San Francisco City, San Francisco County, California
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The San Francisco Board of Education on May 24 approved several tentative agreements with labor partners aimed at addressing payroll problems linked to the district's new Empower system.
The agreements included a memorandum of understanding with United Administrators of San Francisco (UASF) to extend the collective bargaining timeline and two UESF/UASF actions addressing deferred net pay and Empower impacts. Union leaders and the district said the measures are intended to reduce financial hardships that many employees experienced after the new payroll system's rollout. One speaker at the meeting said the agreement would cost the district approximately $9.6 million (board fiscal experts noted the amount during public comment and recommended accounting for it in the 2022–23 budget).
United Educators of San Francisco President Cassandra Curiel told the board the agreement was "a significant step toward resolving the final, biggest hurdle" from the deferred net pay problem and includes one-on-one financial advice for employees. UESF Treasurer Jeri Almanza said unresolved issues (including cancelled insurance and ongoing paycheck problems) persisted and urged quick implementation to avoid staffing shortages in the fall.
Board discussion included procedural questions about BoardDocs postings and fiscal disclosures; staff acknowledged an oversight in posting the fiscal impact in the public agenda attachment and said the amount is included in the required attachments for the California Department of Education.
Roll calls and outcomes: The board approved the MOUs by roll-call vote; the transcript records '6 ayes' on the labor-related items. The meeting record shows the district will need to account for these commitments in the 2022–23 budget process.
Implementation steps: District and union representatives said they will proceed with operational steps to deliver July pay protections and individual financial counseling, with follow-up reporting to the board expected.
The agreements included a memorandum of understanding with United Administrators of San Francisco (UASF) to extend the collective bargaining timeline and two UESF/UASF actions addressing deferred net pay and Empower impacts. Union leaders and the district said the measures are intended to reduce financial hardships that many employees experienced after the new payroll system's rollout. One speaker at the meeting said the agreement would cost the district approximately $9.6 million (board fiscal experts noted the amount during public comment and recommended accounting for it in the 2022–23 budget).
United Educators of San Francisco President Cassandra Curiel told the board the agreement was "a significant step toward resolving the final, biggest hurdle" from the deferred net pay problem and includes one-on-one financial advice for employees. UESF Treasurer Jeri Almanza said unresolved issues (including cancelled insurance and ongoing paycheck problems) persisted and urged quick implementation to avoid staffing shortages in the fall.
Board discussion included procedural questions about BoardDocs postings and fiscal disclosures; staff acknowledged an oversight in posting the fiscal impact in the public agenda attachment and said the amount is included in the required attachments for the California Department of Education.
Roll calls and outcomes: The board approved the MOUs by roll-call vote; the transcript records '6 ayes' on the labor-related items. The meeting record shows the district will need to account for these commitments in the 2022–23 budget process.
Implementation steps: District and union representatives said they will proceed with operational steps to deliver July pay protections and individual financial counseling, with follow-up reporting to the board expected.
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