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Clovis Unified School District headquarters at Sunnyside and Herndon avenues is seen in this Bee file photo.<\/p>\n
JOHN WALKER<\/p>\n
Fresno Bee file<\/p>\n
A group that collected signatures from more than 1,000 teachers in the Clovis Unified School District has filed a union petition with California\u2019s Public Employment Relations Board, marking a significant step toward ending the 66-year \u201cunion-free\u201d history of the state\u2019s 11th-largest school district<\/a>.<\/p>\n Independent Clovis Unified Educators (ICUE), one of the two major groups that have been vying to unionize Clovis teachers<\/a> in the last five years, announced on Thursday that it has successfully gathered 50% plus one signature from teachers and has filed a Petition for Recognition as the exclusive representative for the district\u2019s full-time certificated teachers.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s definitely clear that our teachers want representation and to have official representation, because then we can do things like make sure our benefits are competitive and every issue that we\u2019re able to help them with,\u201d said Erin Dieterle Garcia, a teacher who represents ICUE.<\/p>\n To be recognized as the exclusive representative of teachers, ICUE still faces one final challenge. After PERB verifies the signatures and certifies the petition, groups with proof of support from 30% of teachers, such as ICUE\u2019s major competitor, the Association of Clovis Educators (ACE), will have the opportunity to submit an intervention petition, thus forcing an election for teachers to vote between the two unions, or for no union representation.<\/p>\n During the signature-gathering process, teachers may endorse both groups. Signing is confidential, and it does not commit signers to pay dues, according to a post by ICUE.<\/p>\n \u201cWe encourage people to support ICUE, and when the election comes, we hope that people don\u2019t think that there\u2019s no need to vote because they already signed,\u201d said Tony Silva, labor representative for ICUE. \u201cThere\u2019s still definitely a need to vote when the time comes. If there\u2019s an election, we should be named the exclusive representative.\u201d<\/p>\n In a statement to The Bee, ACE said it intends to file an intervention petition because educators are allowed to sign petitions for more than one organization. The real opportunity for educators to make a final, informed decision comes at the election itself, where every educator can cast only one vote after hearing from all sides. ACE believes the election process will best serve educators in this district, the statement wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cACE will be petitioning for an inclusive union of all certificated educators, while ICUE has petitioned only for teachers,\u201d the statement said. \u201cCUSD educators deserve the right to freely choose who represents them at the bargaining table.\u201d<\/p>\n Clovis Unified\u2019s anti-union culture<\/p>\n For decades, Clovis Unified has lagged behind most other school districts in forming a teachers\u2019 union, due to a deeply entrenched anti-union culture that has existed since the tenure of the founding superintendent, Floyd Buchanan, according to teachers who put in years of unionization effort. With more than 2,000 teachers serving roughly 43,300 students, Clovis Unified has long been considered the largest non-unionized school district west of the Mississippi River.<\/p>\n Over the years, the district used to have a teachers\u2019 group, called the Faculty Senate, to represent teachers when they communicated certain matters with the district. But the group was not a formal union and could not bargain or negotiate for employee benefits.<\/p>\n In June 2024, the Faculty Senate was dissolved<\/a> after a PERB ruling that said Clovis Unified had violated its neutrality by providing unlawful support<\/a> to the organization and deterring employees\u2019 free choice in joining unions, such as ACE, among other infractions.<\/p>\n The district used to pay $300,000 or more annually to support the Faculty Senate, according to ICUE<\/a>.<\/p>\n Kelly Avants, the district\u2019s spokesperson, said Thursday evening that she was unable to verify this number immediately because district employees work four days a week, ten hours a day during summer break.<\/p>\n Avants confirmed with The Bee that Clovis Unified has been formally notified of ICUE\u2019s petition, and said the district respects the right of employees to make a choice about how they are represented.<\/p>\n \u201cAs ICUE and PERB navigate the process to validate this petition, our commitment remains to our people, and the value and respect we have for their critical role in the success of our students,\u201d Avants said in an emailed statement.<\/p>\n Recent unionization efforts<\/p>\n In recent years, the competition to unionize Clovis teachers is mainly between ICUE and ACE.<\/p>\n Established in April 2021, ACE is affiliated with the California Teachers Association, the state\u2019s largest teachers union. ACE has successfully organized several small unions<\/a> among district employees, including school psychologists and American Sign Language interpreters. The latter union has just reached a settlement after two years of negotiating with the school district<\/a> for its first collective bargaining contract, according to ACE.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t have any idea what the future holds regarding negotiations. Right now, we\u2019re just focused on becoming the exclusive representative,\u201d said Silva, ICUE\u2019s labor representative, when asked about future bargaining challenges.<\/p>\n ICUE differentiates itself from ACE by committing to preserve the district legacy through local, independent teacher representation, according to its website. The union\u2019s bylaws guarantee that it will not support any political groups.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re proving to people what we\u2019re able to do for teachers, and we\u2019re doing it the right way,\u201d Garcia said. \u201cI think a lot of Clovis teachers just want someone who\u2019s in their corner, who also is true to Clovis Unified\u2019s values, and it\u2019s very clear that\u2019s what we do.\u201d<\/p>\n Garcia said ICUE is operated by teacher volunteers, and it works with a local firm, which makes lower member dues possible. The group proposed monthly dues of $39, which is less than half of the monthly dues for ACE members, she said.<\/p>\n \u201cFor the most part, our teachers are very happy to work in Clovis Unified. I think a lot of people are proud to be here, but we\u2019re also realistic,\u201d Garcia said. \u201cWe are common-sense solutions to real problems that we have, and I don\u2019t think there\u2019s like a big bad wolf anywhere in our district. We just know that we can help our teachers better than any other group.\u201d<\/p>\n This story was originally published July 31, 2026 at 8:26 PM.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Fresno Bee<\/p>\n