United Educators of San Francisco AFT/CFT v. California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board

Plaintiff United Educators of San Francisco AFT/CFT, AFL-CIO, NEA/CTA (UESF) petitioned the superior court for a writ of administrative mandate on behalf of certain of its members who were employed by the San Francisco Unified School District (District). UESF contended that these members—all of whom had been provided reasonable assurance of continued employment in the fall of 2011—were improperly denied unemployment benefits during the summer of 2011. The petition was successfully opposed below by the District. In a companion appeal, the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board (CUIAB) challenges a separate ruling in favor of the District invalidating a precedent benefit decision that would have permitted public school employees to receive unemployment benefits during summer months provided certain conditions are met. We affirm the lower court as to both rulings.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

I. Background and Administrative Rulings

The parties have stipulated to the following facts. UESF is a union that is the exclusive representative of the District’s certificated employees and classified paraprofessional employees. In the academic year 2010-2011,…