Tentative Work Share Agreement

Today RSD and REA came to a tentative agreement on utilizing work share furlough days to mitigate the impact of budget deficits for the coming school year.  This agreement must be ratified by a vote of REA members and is conditional on the Reynolds Administrative Association making a similar agreement. Following is the text of the tentative agreement:

Workweek Reduction for Remainder of 2019-2020 School Year
Memorandum of Understanding
 
 
 
 
In response to the public health emergency and economic challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, and because of the availability of state and federal resources that are available to employers and employees, Reynolds School District 7 and Reynolds Education Association agree to the following:
 
This memorandum shall not go into effect until Reynolds School District 7 is approved to participate in the Oregon Work Share program and until the memorandum is ratified by the members of the Reynolds Education Association. Reynolds School District 7 shall reduce the hours of each bargaining unit member by up to 40% for each week, by furloughing up to two days a week, beginning the week of Monday June 1, 2020. Compensation for bargaining unit members shall be reduced by up to 40% for each of these weeks ending June 12th, 2020.  The District shall publish a schedule of furlough days, not to exceed two days per week, for the duration of the contract year.  Individual modifications to the furlough day schedule may be made by individual worksites and/or programs when necessitated by legal requirements or pre-scheduled events that cannot be changed. Reynolds School District 7 shall continue to provide the same health insurance contribution and benefits to each bargaining unit member that it provided prior to this agreement. In accordance with the requirements of the Work Share program, bargaining unit members shall not perform any duties during the furloughed days. The District shall provide bargaining unit members the necessary information to assist them in filing the paperwork necessary to receive unemployment payments under the Oregon Work Share program.  Reynolds School District 7 shall allow, and assist when requested, all bargaining unit members to access all available government unemployment assistance, including that provided under the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program (FPUC) as set forth in the CARES Act. The parties acknowledge Governor Brown’s waiver of Oregon’s one week waiting period for unemployment eligibility, thereby allowing bargaining unit members to be eligible for unemployment benefits beginning with the first reduced work week. 8.   The parties acknowledge that the CARES Act and Oregon’s unemployment insurance laws and regulations govern eligibility of employees for access to unemployment insurance benefits, including PUC program payments of $600 per week per eligible employee, and further acknowledge that neither party can guarantee determination of eligibility or the amount or timing of payments, which is outside the control of the parties.  The District will exclude bargaining unit members from participation in the furlough days where the parties anticipate that the member will be ineligible for state and federal resources based on the following factors:
The member has not been employed with the District for 6 months full time or 12 months part-time;  The member takes time off due to illness or injury that excludes them from eligibility, so long as that is reported to the District in advance of the District’s weekly submission to the Oregon Employment Department;  The member is determined to be “seasonal”; or PUC program becomes unavailable. In addition, members who have notified the District of their retirement will be excluded. If a member is deemed to be ineligible, or if the Oregon Employment Department subsequently determines an employee is ineligible for the Work Share program after an initial eligibility determination has been made, the District will allow the employee to apply available non-accruing leave balances to make up the lost hours.  Ineligible employees will be returned to their schedules prior to the furlough and, as necessary, will have wages restored so that they do not suffer any loss of pay.   9.   All money saved as a result of the furlough of REA members through the Work Share program will be applied to the maintenance and funding of REA positions for 2020-21.
Employees may opt out of the furloughed days utilizing the process designated by the District by Tuesday, May 26, 2020.  If a bargaining unit member decides that they will not apply for the Work Share/PUC program, they will be temporarily furloughed according to the terms of this Memorandum and will be allowed to apply available leave to make up the lost hours.  Members who are eligible yet voluntary elect not to participate shall have their salaries reduced in accordance with Paragraph 2. This memorandum shall expire on June 30, 2020.

REA and RSD will meet again in open session on Thursday, 5/28, starting at 4PM.

Your REA Bargain Team