School District, Union Sign Bittersweet Deal

• Three year contract (July 1, 2014-June 30, 2017)
• Two percent wage reduction in year one for custodial employees
• Four percent wage reduction in Year 1 for secretarial, Maintenance, Security, Transportation and Food Service employees
• Wage freeze in Years 2 and 3 for all TENIG employees
• Employees hired after July 1, 2014 will be places on a reduced wage scale (starting at $14/hour for custodians. The wages vary by position and the full list can be seen on page 21 of the contract which is available here on the district's website)
• There will be no outsourcing for any jobs currently done by TENIG union workers prior to June 27, 2017
•  Change to Personal Choice Medical Plan C4 F4 02 with Prescription Plan 0/25/5
•  Annual Employee Contribution (premium share) 6% of Medical Plan
•    All Custodial employees are entitled to one week less of vacation than other TENIG employees in each year of the contract.
•    Employees hired after July 1, 2014 will have reduced vacation day
•    Separation incentive (several eligible TENIG members who have been with the district for 15 years or more could get a "buyout" for retiring or leaving. The people who would replace them would be hired at a lower hourly rate and under the new contract parameters, which the district says would offset the buyout costs and save money in the long-run).
• No outsourcing for any TENIG employees prior to June 27, 2017
  

For the union one of, it not the,key item in the deal was the agreement that their jobs will not be outsourced until June 30, 2017 if then.  Union President Mary Minicozzi told Patch after the vote Monday that her members love working for the T/E School District and were willing to make to some big concessions to be assured that their jobs would not be outsourced.  

Board members, including Finance Committee Chair Betsy Fadem emphasized several times during the meeting that while economic realities forced the board to look at every way possible to save money, including outsourcing, their desire was never to lose TENIG employees.  Virtually every board member present expressed their gratitude to the TENIG union members not only for their service but for their willingness to take some hard hits in order to make it possible to avoid going the outsourcing route.

According to district estimates, the trade-off for avoiding outsourcing is an increase cost over what farming out the work to contractors would have been.

According to information provided by the district, the contract as signed is projected to save the school district $2.3 million over three years.  That amounts to $766,666 for each year of the contract. The district estimated that outsourcing the same jobs would have save $1.9million in each year. Board Member (and former Board President) Karen Cruickshank summed up the situation by saying "these are really tough decisions. We've seen everybody in the district (meaning staff, union and the public) pull together."

Board Member Richard Brake who is runing for re-election in November noted "This country is deep trouble... This agreement doesn't solve the problem.  At this point it's bailing water out of a leaky boat and that's what we've been doing for the last four years... If everyone is hurting than I guess there's an equity about that."

In the end the boar unanimously approved the contract and each board member shook hands with the union president, thanking her on behalf of the 169 members of her union.

"We have great jobs, working at T/E is phenominal.  It's a great place to be. Who wouldn't want to work here.  We get treated well.  The kids are great,  it's just a great place to be. It's worth it.

You can read the full contract which is now posted on here on the T/E District's website