The educational paraprofessionals and security aides employed by the Wolcott Board of Education (BOE) waged a year-and-a-half-long struggle to defend their pension, and their unity and persistence resulted in a new four-year contract that provides 12 percent in pay raises, improved grievance language, and the preservation of the defined benefit pension.
The expiration date of the old contract was June 30, 2011, and bargaining sessions began in the spring of that year. From the beginning, the BOE made it clear that it was committed to eliminating the defined benefit pension for this bargaining unit, as it had done with every other bargaining unit of Wolcott school employees that had negotiated earlier. During the long battle that ensued, union members worked under the terms of the old contract.
The Wolcott paras and security aides, represented by Sub-local 84 of UE Local 222, worked for wages that were significantly lower than those earned by paras and security aides in surrounding towns, and most members of our unit were not eligible for employer-provided medical insurance. But what they did have was a defined benefit pension, which provides retirement income equal to 50 percent of their annual earnings at the time of retirement for employees with 20 years service. Members decided early in negotiations that their defined benefit pension was the most valuable employment benefit that had, and that it was worth fighting for.
The union presented a list of proposals to increase to wages and benefits, bringing them closer to the levels of neighboring towns. An additional reason for significant improvements in wages was the new educational certification that the Wolcott BOE had instituted, which required paraprofessionals to pass a state assessment or to hold a degree in order to maintain their positions.
The BOE refused to even consider many of the union’s proposals. They told the union committee to give them the union’s top five issues, because they were unwilling to consider any more than that. But when the union listed its top five issues, with the pension and wage increases topping the list, the employer still refused to budge. After more than a year of largely unproductive bargaining, the parties reached impasse and proceeded to mediation, as provided under Connecticut’s public sector bargaining law.
But meetings between the parties with a state mediator present also failed to yield progress toward an agreement.
The members stood firm and supported their elected bargaining committee in fighting back against the board’s assault on their pension. The membership voted to take the contract dispute to binding interest arbitration, which in Connecticut public employee bargaining law is the only way to resolve deadlocked negotiations. The state prohibits public employees striking.
The parties went into arbitration with a whopping list of 38 issues in dispute. The sessions were to be held in the evening – the BOE refused to have the process impact the workday. In the first and, as it turned out, the only arbitration hearing session, the BOE representative said they wanted the hearing to proceed as quickly as possible, adding that they that they the hearing could be completed in just three sessions. The hearing got underway with the BOE presenting its argument and evidence that it was unable to pay the wages and benefits the union was seeking.
UE’s main representative in the hearing, International Representative Gene Elk, gave an opening statement that outlined the comparisons on which the union intended to present evidence, to show that the workers were underpaid compared to similar workers in neighboring districts. By the end of the first scheduled hearing, the parties had not finished presenting their arguments on the issue of the BOE’s ability to pay, and had not even begun to address the 38 disputed issues. It appeared that the hearings might drag on for weeks or months.
The BOE representatives suddenly started showing serious interest in reaching a negotiated settlement. By the end of the night, the parties had reached a complete tentative agreement, which included maintaining the defined benefit pension
The new four-year contract, retroactive to July 2011, provides a signing bonus and no general wage increase in the first year. But effective July 1, 2012, workers receive general wage increases of 2 percent each July and each January, which means that the first increase included back pay to last July 1. These increases will total 12 percent by the end of the contract.
The union also maintained the current insurance plan and premium share for those members who were eligible to receive it for the life of the contract. Grievance language was strengthened to give the union the right to file grievances when there is an issue which no individual grievant wishes to pursue.
Union President Christine Fitzpatrick was very pleased with the outcome. “We kept our defined benefit pension! We never could have done it without the support of this union. My committee had to keep this important benefit for our members. UE stood with us to fight, and we won!”
The negotiating committee included President Christine Fitzpatrick, Vice President Kathy Dibona, Barbara Semeraro, Shirley Johnson, Carol Gugliotti and Nancy Cuifalo. They were assisted by International Representative Gene Elk and Field Organizer Colleen Ezzo. Additional assistance was provided by UE International Representative John Woodruff, Research Director Karl Zimmerman, Associate General Counsel Margot Nikitas, Field Organizers Annie MacDonald and Mike Lewis, and UE Local 222 Administrative Secretary Deb Brigada.