VEA has issued a demand to bargain on the letter that was sent today by VCUSD employee Denise Brogan-Whitford, most likely at the the direction of new District Administrator, Stephen Lane.
This letter was sent to all VEA members and issued the directive to stop immediate use of personal appliances such as microwaves, refrigerators, and coffee makers. This is supposedly due to an increase in energy usage.
No mention is made in this letter about the cold snap that has hit Vallejo and other parts of Northern California in the past couple of weeks.
Instead the blame for this increased energy use is placed on the usage of small appliances used by teachers in their classrooms.
The District has stated that if personal appliances are not removed by January 31st that they will “confiscate” these items.
VEA believes that perhaps the District has larger issues to address, such as the safety of their employees and the students of Vallejo, rather than the use of small appliances.
We also believes that in light of the fact that many teachers report having heaters that do not work in their classrooms, including VEA President Christal Watts’ 3rd grade classroom, that this District should spend more “energy” (no pun intended) on updating antiquated heating systems rather than seek to ban and illegally confiscate the personal property of VCUSD employees.
VEA’s Bargaining Team meets with the District’s bargaining team tomorrow. We will keep you posted!
