LA Unified and the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles (AALA) have reached a tentative agreement on a 10 percent salary increase over two years that would replace a June 2014 agreement that called for a 6.5 percent raise.
The agreement is set to be voted on for ratification by members of AALA — which represents principals and other district administrators — between June 5 and June 9 and would then need to be approved by the LA Unified school board.
If the members ratify the agreement, the school board would vote on its final approval in August, and members could expect the raise and backpay to be reflected in their September paycheck, according to the AALA newsletter.
The negotiations on AALA's contract were reopened after the district reached an agreement on a new three-year contract with the LA teachers union, UTLA, that gave them a 10.4 percent raise. AALA and several other unions that represent district workers have so-called "me too" clauses that entitle them to receive comparable treatment should one union receive a raise higher than others.
AALA members, certificated and classified, will now receive on-schedule raises totaling 10 percent over two years (retroactive to July 2014) instead of the previous 6.5 percent on-schedule plus the 2 percent off-schedule bonus over three years.
Retirees will keep the 2 percent off-schedule bonus they earned for 2013-2014.
The 2.5 percent raise previously scheduled to be implemented on July 1, 2016, will instead become part of the larger and earlier on-schedule increases. AALA will retain the opportunity to re-open negotiations in the spring of 2016 regarding salaries for the 2016-2017 school year.
On a related note, UTLA members are scheduled to receive their first paycheck on June 5, which reflects their raises and retroactive back pay. Coincidentally, the flush checks will come the day after the school year ends and will include a retroactive salary payment of 4 percent going back to July 2014 and 2 percent going back to January, according to the UTLA Facebook page.