Decision 3038E – Lodi Unified School District
SA-CE-3186-E
Decision Date: July 9, 2026
Decision Type: PERB Decision (Non-Precedential)
Description: Lodi Education Association alleged that Lodi Unified School District violated EERA by changing terms and conditions of employment without affording it adequate notice and opportunity to bargain. After a formal hearing, the ALJ found the District deviated from a collectively bargained formula for crediting vocational teachers for their prior work experience. Specifically, the ALJ found the Association demonstrated that service credit enhancements for prior work experience applied to all vocational teachers, not just to new hires. The District filed exceptions.
Disposition: In a non-precedential decision, the Board affirmed the ALJ’s interpretation as the best construction of the parties’ CBA, notwithstanding that the parties may not have interpreted the language the same way at the time they reached agreement. The Board noted that the CBA includes no limiting language that would exclude existing employees from the new formula, nor does the CBA contain language stating or even suggesting that the value of credit awarded for prior vocational experience becomes forever fixed once an employee is initially placed on the salary schedule and can never be adjusted pursuant to later collective bargaining.
Decision Headnotes