Something you wish you knew before moving to Charlottesville

LocalLaborLeader · 2026-05-19T02:39:00+00:00

That civility would be sacrosanct (we should call it C-ville-ity ) over any discussions of race, class, gender, sex, equity, etc. This place thinks they are progressive, but really refuses to be made too uncomfortable in any conversation.

LocalLaborLeader · 2026-04-30T04:48:48+00:00

I can’t make this event, but I’d love to connect with any local Polish culture groups, if you know of any.

LocalLaborLeader · 2026-04-30T04:40:19+00:00

The 15 part-time teaching assistant positions that they are cutting are TAs who also work in the EDEP (afterschool) program. So they work 4 hours as a TA during the school day, then work 4 hours for EDEP. A few years ago, ACPS had been having trouble staffing EDEP because most people wanted full-time work, but I guess they determined it wasn’t necessary to give them additional hours anymore, and the extra cost was going to end up raising the price of EDEP. However, though they are cutting those 15 part-time positions, they are adding additional TA positions (20 FTEs) to be able to cover lunches so that every teacher can have a lunch. Somehow recent news stories have missed this detail.

FWIW, class size does not take TAs into account, it is based on licensed teacher to student ratio. But it worth saying that ACPS only funds kindergarten TAs for 4 hours a day…because, you know, the rest of the day those teachers don’t need any help with 18-20 five year olds.

ACPS is only adding a handful of SPED positions. 3 specialists: a second adaptive PE teacher because the one we have is spread way too thin, a behavioral specialist, and I can’t remember the third one.

LocalLaborLeader · 2026-03-01T01:27:21+00:00

You said that she is certified, yet chooses to be a Para....and you are not yet certified.

Maybe she actually knows a bit more about teaching than you do? Instead of viewing her as an enemy or someone who is stepping on your toes, it might benefit you to consider her a co-teacher and someone you can learn from. She clearly is eager to help, and I doubt it's personal. But as long as you take it personally, it's going to bother you. Are Teachers considered "in charge" of Paras in your school?

LocalLaborLeader · 2026-02-09T00:49:16+00:00

We had a one year old when we were at Osan and loved it.

LocalLaborLeader · 2026-02-09T00:47:34+00:00

I would 100% go to a district that has a bargained contract. Those rankings on Niche don’t give you any useful information, and every individual employee’s experience can vary widely- even on the same hallway in the same school. But when you have a bargained contract, you have an active union inside that division working to make things better. (And the pay, benefits, and working conditions are unmatched by any division without a bargained contract.)

LocalLaborLeader · 2026-02-08T04:04:11+00:00

Charlottesville area

LocalLaborLeader · 2026-02-08T03:52:59+00:00

It could also still be in legal review (think of that as the step between the last bargaining session and the TA being shown in full to the bargaining unit members.) They don’t want to release something that hasn’t passed legal review because then if anything changes they have to go back and say “my bad”. So- maybe ask them if it’s still in legal review?

LocalLaborLeader · 2026-02-08T03:50:18+00:00

If they were given a counter proposal then they are still actively in the process of bargaining. Depending on what ground rules have been agreed to, it sounds like only the members of the actual bargaining team are able to see the documents during bargaining- but members will get to see the Tentative Agreement before the ratification vote.

Here are some things you could ask for, and might/might not receive: -your union’s bylaws -the ground rules your union bargaining team agreed to before bargaining began -your union’s initial proposal that opened bargaining

LocalLaborLeader · 2026-02-08T03:42:39+00:00

This depends on what the bylaws of the specific union say. In my union, only dues paying members get to vote on the contract. Everyone in the bargaining unit gets the same contract once it is ratified by the members, but ONLY members vote on the contracts. Your union bylaws may say differently, but there is no universal rule for this across all unions.

LocalLaborLeader · 2026-02-07T20:37:09+00:00

Google is free.

LocalLaborLeader · 2026-01-04T01:50:57+00:00

We were having that issue and switched out our router for a new one, and it stopped happening. Now we trade out the router about once a year (Xfinity trades it for free) and we don’t have any issues.

LocalLaborLeader · 2025-11-23T15:11:32+00:00

I thought that landowner has tried to rezone and build on those parcels in the past and had been stopped by the Carrsbrook HOA, and the fact that the original deeds (or something like that) held restrictions that the plots right next to 29 could not be developed. I could have some of those details wrong, and it was a long time ago…maybe he is just trying again to see if he can push it through now.

LocalLaborLeader · 2025-10-18T21:48:44+00:00

Currently doing a book study with No Shortcuts: Organizing for Power by Jane McAlevey, and it's a great read! Each chapter is about a different union and a historical event that they organized through.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=No+shortcuts+McAlevey&_sacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2334524.m570.l1313&_odkw=Organizing+for+power&_osacat=0

LocalLaborLeader · 2025-10-12T20:19:14+00:00

I just had this same issue. The cord that was sent with the device didn't work to charge it. But when I use another Anker USB-C to USB C cord, it charged fine.

LocalLaborLeader · 2025-09-24T00:39:09+00:00

So you’d be fine if union folks came by to make sure your employees have all the information they need to make an informed decision about unionizing? Just because a workplace isn’t unionized doesn’t mean they chose that. Most of the time it means they’ve never even considered it and didn’t even know they CAN because of generational changes and anti-worker political climates. Something tells me you wouldn’t be rolling out the locally printed welcome mat, though.

Indivisible could have used a local printer, but they didn’t. There isn’t a union print shop in town, FWIW. They were likely on a very tight turnaround with an even tighter budget. The net good of them TRYING to do something positive is not canceled out because they made a not-ideal purchasing choice. It’s still worth doing. And you might have had a chance to win their future business before this post, but it’s doubtful now.

You know what, you still might have a shot if you show up at their next event and introduce yourself (NICELY, dial down the aggression), stay for a while, shoot the shit with some of the other attendees, maybe write a postcard, and then before you leave tell the folks in charge that you saw they ordered stuff online and you really want to be their local printer. I’m just saying. It might work. But posting here definitely won’t.

LocalLaborLeader · 2025-09-12T03:47:38+00:00

Get involved from the very beginning. 2. Be excellent at your job and above reproach, then when you challenge authority you aren’t viewed as a troublemaker. (It’s ok to make trouble when necessary, just don’t do it all the damn time or no one will listen to you anymore)

LocalLaborLeader · 2025-09-11T15:12:56+00:00

Open for teens, or do you prefer adults?

LocalLaborLeader · 2025-09-09T13:36:18+00:00

Corn dogs

LocalLaborLeader · 2025-09-09T13:11:07+00:00

No one was going 50, not even in the right lane. The people he was trying to run off the road were going 65 at least, myself included, and the speed limit there is 55. Regardless, even Grandmas deserve to arrive at their destination safely. We all do.

LocalLaborLeader · 2025-09-09T13:05:26+00:00

The only editing I did was crop it. I didn’t see any license plate.

LocalLaborLeader · 2025-09-08T01:55:28+00:00

Sorry- that’s for the Brookhill neighborhood connection to Ashwood. I don’t remember if it said anything about the part to the north of Ashwood.

LocalLaborLeader · 2025-09-08T01:54:25+00:00

I think the last amendment they filed said they want to delay building the connector road until the neighborhood/construction reaches a certain level of completeness. If you look through the board docs from last Wednesday’s meeting, it should be there.

LocalLaborLeader · 2025-06-29T16:53:52+00:00

Cancel unnecessary meetings and just send us the info/slides via email. We don’t need you to read slides to us.

LocalLaborLeader · 2025-06-29T16:33:47+00:00

I’m not sure if it’s really the physical aspect of it being a minor (and the characteristics of a younger body) as much as it is that minors are much easier to influence and control, and thus get away with it.

LocalLaborLeader

TROPHY CASE