Vendor Label Creates Hurdles For Ysleta Teachers Association

The Ysleta Teachers Association said it can no longer go to school campuses and talk to teachers like it used to after being designated as a “vendor.”

Ysleta Independent School District officials said they just want as few distractions as possible to help teachers best serve the students.

Ysleta Teachers Association members are now required to go through a series of regulations, including having to submit an application in advance to get on a campus.

“(The teachers association members) are there to help protect them or guide them,” said Arlinda Valencia, a retired teacher and now president of the Ysleta Teachers Association.

Valencia says the organization provides a support system for all teachers in the Ysleta district.

“We protect them if something goes wrong,” she said.

But Valencia said a new policy created by the district’s human resources department is violating its labor rights and is very different from the one that was approved by the YISD Board of Trustees.

“The board needs to wake up and see that, ‘Hey, your policies are not being followed,'” Valencia said.

The Ysleta Teachers Association used to be able to visit its members before school started and during their 30 minute lunch break, but not anymore.

“They’ve told us we can’t go on until all students have left the building. Well, that’s going to be about 5:30, 6 (p.m.). What teacher is going to stay for another meeting at that time?” Valencia said.

Teachers who didn’t want to go on camera said they agree with Valenica and feel that they should be given the option to meet on their time.

In a statement, district officials said it was a matter of protecting the instructional day.

“YTA is an employee association, which, for all intents and purposes, is a ‘labor organization.’ Since the regulation uses the terms ‘vendor’ and ‘organization’ interchangeably, the same rules apply to all “organizations,” the statement said.

Valencia disagrees: “We are there to help our teachers and to say we are out there peddling something is a disgrace.”

YISD board member Shane Haggerty said he’s also concerned about the organization’s new designation and is meeting with some administrators tomorrow.

The El Paso and Socorro independent districts allow their teachers organizations to visit campuses before school and during lunch breaks.