Marblehead Schools Request State Mediation In Custodian Contract Dispute

MARBLEHEAD, MA — The Marblehead School Committee is requesting state mediation amid what they consider an impasse in negotiations with school custodians on a new collective-bargaining agreement following the expiration of the previous deal on June 30.

The request came after the latest failed negotiation session last week and amid an objection from the Marblehead Education Association.

"The next step in the process is to request a mediator from the Massachusetts Department of Labor Relations to help the parties reach agreement on a new contract," School Committee Chair Jennifer Schaeffner said in a statement on Monday morning. "The MEA chose not to join the Committee in requesting a mediator. However, we believe that a neutral third-party mediator may help us reach an agreement. It is the next step in the process of negotiations for a successor agreement and we look forward to working with a mediator to reach an agreement with our custodians unit."

Last week, the MEA accused the School Committee of threatening to "unilaterally walk away from the bargaining table with our hardworking custodians" by requesting state mediation.

"Rather than listening and joining us in facing these challenges together, the School Committee would rather divide us by devaluing essential workers in our schools," MEA Co-President Jonathan Heller said in a statement to Patch. "Rather than collaborating to find solutions to the problems we are facing, it appears they are intent on educators joining the custodians and returning to school this fall with an expired contract."

The School Committee said its latest offer included wage increases where the majority of employees represented by the custodian union would receive a 14.5 percent increase in pay over three years.

The Committee's offer also provided for a second shift differential of $1 per hour in year 1; $1.50 per hour in year 2; and $2 per hour in year 3, and it doubled the uniform allowance for all employees.

The Committee said its offer also included increases in paid leave time including a new paid parental leave provision, additional vacation time, and three additional sick leave days per year, bringing the annual sick leave accrual to 18 days per year with the ability to request additional days from the superintendent if the employee exhausts their accrued sick leave.

It said the MEA's counter-proposal included a 70 percent raise over three years and 12 weeks of paid parental leave without use of any accrued sick leave, personal leave or vacation leave.

The MEA argued that custodian contracts should continue to be negotiated along with those of other school employee units.

"They are devaluing us in order to divide us," said Samantha Rosato, a tutor at Glover School and member of the MEA Bargaining Team. "The truth is they depend on us, and families in Marblehead depend on our schools."

The request for state mediation will go to the Department of Labor Relations, which will determine whether the mediator needs to be appointed in the case of an impasse.

"The School Committee greatly values the work and dedication of our employees in the custodians unit, which includes building and transportation staff, and recognizes that our school district would not function without these team members," the School Committee said. "We reached an impasse in these negotiations and the parties remain far apart in our respective positions.

"In addition to mediation with the custodians' unit, the Committee will be continuing to negotiate with the MEA for successor contracts with the other units."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)