The Pajaro Valley Unified School District and its teachers union have reached a tentative labor agreement after nearly a year of negotiations.
The agreement between PVUSD and the Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers comes after months of bargaining over salaries, health benefits and working conditions. The two sides had entered the state’s fact-finding process after failing to reach an agreement at the bargaining table.
The district announced the tentative agreement Thursday, saying it resulted from “months of active negotiations and collaborative compromise.”
Details of the agreement were not included in the district’s announcement.
The agreement must still be ratified by PVFT members and approved by the PVUSD Board of Trustees before it takes effect.
Superintendent Heather Contreras said reaching the deal required compromise from both sides.
“Reaching this agreement required hard work, open dialogue, and meaningful compromise from both sides of the table,” Contreras said. “We are deeply grateful to PVFT leadership, our educators, and our district bargaining team for their perseverance.”
Contreras said the agreement would allow the district and its employees to turn their attention back to students and improving classroom outcomes.
Health benefits had been a significant sticking point during negotiations. The district had previously proposed capping its contribution toward family health benefits, a proposal union leaders opposed, and over which teachers threatened to strike.
The proposal by the district to cap salary benefits has been a bone of contention between the district and union, with both parties entering into a fact-finding phase after negotiations stalled.
PVFT President Brandon Diniz said the tentative deal would preserve the union’s existing benefits structure.
“This agreement reflects the desires of our membership to maintain our current benefits structure with no changes, puts money on the salary schedule, and creates improved working conditions that put students first,” Diniz said in the joint announcement.
The agreement follows a lengthy bargaining process between the district and PVFT, which represents the district’s teachers and other certificated employees.
The tentative agreement now heads to union members for a ratification vote. The district did not announce when the Board of Trustees will consider final approval.
This publication has reached out to PVFT President Brandon Diniz and to PVUSD district officials for comment.
This story will be updated.
Editor’s note: Pajaronian Managing Editor Todd Guild’s wife is a teacher in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District, and his family receives health benefits through the district.
