California School Employees Ass'n, Tustin Chapter No. 450 v. Tustin Unified School District

**School District Couldn't Deduct Regular Employee Pay from Disabled Worker's Salary** This case involved a dispute between the California School Employees Association and the Tustin Unified School District over salary deductions for a disabled employee on leave. When the disabled worker was absent, the school district assigned current employees to cover their duties and then deducted those employees' wages from the disabled worker's pay. The union argued this practice violated state education law. The California Court of Appeal sided with the union, overturning a lower court decision. The court ruled that school districts can only deduct payments made to newly hired substitute employees from a disabled worker's salary—not wages paid to existing employees who temporarily take on extra duties to cover the absent worker's position. **Why this matters for workers:** This ruling protects disabled employees' right to their full salary while on leave. School districts and potentially other public employers cannot reduce a disabled worker's pay simply because they reassign current staff to handle additional responsibilities. Workers can only have substitute pay deducted from their salary when the employer actually hires new temporary workers, not when existing employees cover the work as part of their duties.