Imagine Schools Teachers Association (ISTA) has successfully retained affiliation with the California Teachers Association (CTA) and the Natonal Education Association (NEA) by winning a decertification election on Thursday May 12. Teachers at the school have faced ongoing opposition to their unionizing Imagine Scools Inc. by the private, for profit charter. 

In January, the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) declared the actions of Imagine Schools in attempting to influence the outcome of a de-certification election were interfering with union organizing and  granted ISTA a stay in the decertification process until the charge reached its PERB hearing.  On the day of the PERB hearing, Imagine Schools settled the charge by consenting to inform teachers of their rights to join a union, that the Union was the appropriate source to learn about union dues, and a venue was granted for a union meeting during working hours.

The Imagine Schools Corporation has been resistant to representation since signatures cards were initially gathered, and at the beginning of this school year required all Imagine teachers to sit through a mandatory screening of the anti-union film “Waiting for Superman”.  They followed the screening with an additional flyer that included misrepresentations about CTA/NEA.

ISTA is pleased that PERB’s work is now complete and educators at the school can make positive progress on a collective bargaining agreement.

Read the PERB ruling in its entirety here.