UE Local 222’s Sub-local 80 – representing secretaries, custodians and food service workers in the Woodbridge public schools – has negotiated a three-year contract that includes major increases in wages. The new agreement goes a long ways toward the union’s goal of reducing wage disparities with workers on comparable jobs in neighboring school districts.
The union’s gains in negotiations build upon a major union victory in November 2011 at the Connecticut state labor board, which concluded a two-year battle with the board of education (BOE) over its illegal outsourcing of custodians’ jobs.
In the new agreement, custodians hired since the labor board decision will receive a 32 percent increase in wages over the term of the agreement. School secretaries and administrator/accounts payable secretaries will get wage increases of 18 to 21 percent. A wage “bump” is also applied to food service personnel with three or more years of service, providing one member with a 15 percent wage increase, as well as a later step raise for each employee.
Employees not included in the above-listed wage adjustments will each receive a 2.5 percent wage increase in the first year, 3 percent in the second year, and 3.5 percent in the third year. All wage increases will be retroactive to July 1, 2012.
Union members worked hard to achieve these wage gains. Before sitting down at the bargaining table with the BOE’s negotiators, the union leaders and membership had decided that in these negotiations, they needed to address the vast disparity between their wages and workers performing the same work in other school districts. They collected more than a dozen contracts covering school workers in surrounding towns, most of which indicated that they were greatly underpaid.
The union bargaining committee also fought hard to keep the health insurance plan intact. Although there will be some increases in co-pays, employees’ share of the premium will increase only .5 percent a year (non-retroactive). The union also succeeded in decreasing the cost differential between individual and family coverage from 40 percent to 30 percent.
For food service workers, the new contract increases the accumulated sick leave payout from seven to 11.25 days. The amount of sick leave available to all employees for family illness was increased from two to five days. Another language change will permit food service workers to use all of their $150 allowance for work clothing to purchase work shoes, previously they could not use more than $75 for shoes. The agreement also increases the time limit for filing a grievance from 5 to 10 days, providing the union more time to investigate.
The BOE pushed to eliminate contract language on "fill-ins” which provided that fill-in workers must become members of the union after 120 days. The new compromise language says that fill-in workers must become union members after 90 workdays (excluding weekends and other non-workdays).
TWO-YEAR FIGHT STRENGTHENED UNION
In December 2009 – soon after negotiating the previous contract with the union – the BOE suspended four custodians on disciplinary charges – half the custodial workforce – and then outsourced their work to a private custodial company. The union filed a grievance as well as complaints with the Connecticut State Board of Labor Relations. The state labor board held four hearings in which several courageous union members testified, and on November 15, 2011 the labor board issued a decision that was a sweeping win for the union. The Woodbridge BOE was forced to post and fill full-time custodial positions, and to provide back pay to a union member who had been denied the opportunity to bid into a full-time custodial job.
That long, difficult battle and the resulting victory made Sub-local 80 stronger than ever, and the unity developed during the privatization fight had a decisive impact on these negotiations.
Custodian Kory Cook (a 15-month employee) is pleased with the new contract “I appreciate the hard work of the committee. Their hard work and dedication provided us with a great contract, with wage increases that will help to support my family.” School Secretary Judy Silva also commended the committee. “Thanks for all your hard work and persistence. You provided us with a great contract!”
The negotiating committee consisted of President Vito Esparo (custodian), Vice President Lola Johnson (administrative secretary and also statewide vice president of Local 222), and Mina Stiber (food service). They were assisted by Field Organizer Colleen Ezzo.