NYC LOCAL SETTLES CONTRACT NEARLY
A YEAR EARLY

Paraprofessionals and secretaries represented by the United Federation of Teachers in New York City will receive raises totaling 8 percent over the next two years, under an agreement UFT members ratified in December. This includes a 7.1 percent raise for paraprofessionals, secretaries, teachers and other staff the UFT represents, plus a $750 cash payment and a $500 longevity increase for paraprofessionals who stay in the system for five years.

Unlike the previous UFT contract, reached more than two years after the prior one had expired, this new two-year pact was settled almost a full year in advance.

"It's the best thing that's ever happened," says Shelvy Y. Abrams, chair of the paraprofessional chapter and also an AFT vice president, adding that she'd never before seen the city work so hard to achieve a fair contract. "Seriously, for the first time, we're almost on parity with teachers, and hopefully we'll get more next time. It's a beautiful thing."

WOODLAND, ILL., BUS DRIVERS WIN BACK PRIVATIZED JOBS

Bus drivers in Woodland, Ill., will get their jobs back this fall, thanks to a deal struck by the Lake County Federation of Teachers.

Under an agreement that the school board ratified in February, more than 90 former drivers whose jobs were outsourced will get $1,000 in damages for every year the district had employed them, and drivers who had worked less than a year will get $100 for every month. Even counting damages, the settlement will not exceed the district's transportation budget.

Starting pay for drivers will be $15.25 an hour, and those with more than 16 years in the district will earn $21 an hour-overall, slightly more than the drivers were earning from the private contractor, and weighted more toward experienced drivers. Full-time drivers also will receive retirement and insurance benefits, which they were not getting from the contractor. The drivers' previous years working for the district will count toward retirement, except for about a dozen drivers who signed a severance agreement last spring. In addition, drivers will have any seniority and sick leave restored.

The Illinois Federation of Teachers helped the local union with the negotiations, communication and legal costs. "They were very supportive all along," says Mike McGue, president of the Lake County Federation of Teachers, who brought the negotiations to a close. Among other things, he says, the new contract language will prevent the school district from subcontracting during the life of the agreement and makes it as unattractive as possible for the district to try outsourcing again.

The Woodland school board had voted in 2004 to outsource the bus drivers' jobs, despite the workers' offer to cut their top wage by $7 an hour. The new contract cuts that top pay by $3 an hour. After the outsourcing three years ago, many of the Woodland drivers took lower-paying jobs with the private bus contractor.
Ray Mackey, executive director of the Illinois federation, calls the agreement "a great success story."

FIRST CONTRACT FOR THESE PSRPS IS A ‘LIVING CONTRACT'

Support staff in Douglas County, Colo., overwhelmingly ratified their first contract in January, a "living contract" in which union and district representatives will meet every month to continue their negotiations. The union will keep working toward better compensation and benefits for PSRPs.

Highlights of the agreement include enhanced staff development in a pay-for-performance program, and benefits for child nutrition and child care workers. The contract is retroactive to July 2006 and will expire in 2009. To see a copy, go to www.dcft.net/classified/contract.

"I'm very pleased and extremely relieved that our members now have a contract, and the last 1 years of work was worth it," says Tiffany Osland, PSRP vice president and chapter chair of the Douglas County federation.