Union: Dozens to Urge BOE to Rethink Outsourcing

There will be "mass attendance" at a Board of Education meeting Tuesday night, with dozens of attendees protesting to handle most of the district's custodial services next school year, according to a news release from the Madison Facilities Staff Association.

The number of in-house custodians has been reduced amid budget cuts, and hiring an outside company will allow the district to add needed custodians within the confines of the budget and realize savings on health insurance and pension expenses, district officials have said.

MFSA President Joe Cecala, the head custodian at Torey J. Sabatini School, said some of the 20 members of the custodial staff are district alumni or have children or grandchildren in the district.

They understand the need to save money, but not at the expense of "children's safety and the quality services this community deserves," Cecala said in the news release, which was distributed by the association's NJEA field representative.

The union placed signs around the borough saying, "Strangers? Not in my schools."

“The Madison Board of Education wants to fire my members and hire strangers to be around the children and work in the schools," Cecala said. "We believe doing so compromises the safe, community-based atmosphere and high cleaning standards the parents of this district have come to expect.”

The meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in the library. The full news release is reproduced below.

Madison community decries BOE’s plan to privatize
Residents to tell Board, “No strangers in our schools.”

• WHO: Members of the Madison Facilities Staff Association along with dozens of concerned parents, teachers, and community members
• WHAT: Mass attendance at the Madison Board of Education meeting to urge reconsideration of the Board’s decision to fire the district custodians and outsource the positions
• WHERE: Madison High School Library, 170 Ridgedale Avenue, Madison, NJ  07940
• WHEN: Tuesday, May 8, 2012, 7:30 p.m.

MADISON—The 20 members of the Madison Facilities Staff Association (MFSA) which represents maintenance and custodial personnel will attend the Board of Education meeting tonight, Tuesday, May 8th, to urge the Board to reconsider its decision to fire and replace them with hourly wage workers.

“The Madison Board of Education wants to fire my members and hire strangers to be around the children and work in the schools. We believe doing so compromises the safe, community-based atmosphere and high cleaning standards the parents of this district have come to expect,” said MFSA President Joe Cecala.

Staff and community members will address the Board to strongly urge them to retain the custodial maintenance staff, several of whom have children or grandchildren in the district and are district alumni.

“The MFSA understands the need to save money but refuses to support any measure that does so at the expense of our children’s safety and the quality services this community deserves,” Cecala declared.  “We want the Board to understand: this is more than just a job to us; this is our chosen career.”