Union alleges unfair practices

Molly Shore

A union that represents about 500 Burbank Unified School District

employees claims the district is guilty of unfair labor practices,

violating its agreement with the union.

The California School Employees Assn. alleges in a July 7 letter

to Supt. Gregory Bowman that the district allowed nonunion employees

to perform custodial overtime work, and that after the district’s

warehouse worker was laid off, the warehouse supervisor and a

carpenter began doing the former worker’s job.

“Because [the district] didn’t offer [overtime] to our custodial

staff first, they would have to pay eight hours of overtime to every

eligible custodian,” said Dvora Mayer, the union’s labor relations

representative.

Mayer is also alleging that a district grounds supervisor and

grounds technicians are doing the work of a utility driver who was

laid off last year, and that the duties of a swim pool custodian at

John Burroughs High School have been assigned to the school’s

custodial supervisor.

Mayer said the union plans to file a grievance over overtime that

is owed to the custodial staff. Mayer has filed the grievance with

Nancy Gascich, the district’s director of personnel services, who

Mayer said has until July 17 to respond.

“If she denies my grievance, then I’ll take it to the

superintendent,” Mayer said. “If he denies it, then I take it to

arbitration.”

If an arbitrator were to hear the grievance and rule for the

union, then the district would have to pay the overtime, Mayer said.

Gascich, reached Tuesday, said she intends to meet with Tom Lopez,

the district’s director of maintenance and operations, to determine

what type of work was done at the high school.

“I am going to investigate the situation,” Gascich said. “I don’t

know any of the reality of it at this point.”

Lopez refused to comment on the allegations, saying that any

response would have to come from Gascich.

District employees who are union members plan to picket outside

City Hall before the July 17 school board meeting.

The district, Mayer said, has now been targeted by the union’s

state association, which plans to have representatives at the board

meeting.

“This district is doing things that they shouldn’t do,” she added.

At the meeting, Mayer said more layoffs of maintenance and grounds

people are proposed, but she added that no date is specified for such

action.

Mayer said that the district will be able to lay off the employees

any time during the year with a 30-day notice if board members

approve.