Custodians for the Glastonbury Board of Education, members of UE Local 222 Sublocal 27, negotiated a new four-year contract this spring that will increase wages by three percent each year. Longevity pay will increase by $25 at 10 years, $50 at 15 years and $100 and 20 years.
The pension will increase by 0.25 percent each year of the contract, and the life insurance benefit will increase from $125,000 to $175,000. Health insurance increases were held to half a percent each year.
The contract also adds Juneteenth as a new holiday. Juneteenth is a commemoration of the end of slavery (the final slaves on U.S. soil were freed by order of a Union general in Texas on June 19, 1865) which has long been celebrated by African-Americans but has gained new prominence in recent years.
The Local 222-27 negotiating committee consisted of Sublocal President Steve Stenger, Sublocal Vice President Matt Braddon (who also serves as president of amalgamated Local 222), Aaron Bastiani, Tim Ford, McNeil Johnson, Paul Johnson, and Charlie Lake. They were assisted by Field Organizer Sherry Bryant.