When working people come together and choose ‘Union YES,’ they tap a collective power that can achieve advantages nearly impossible to accomplish by individuals acting alone. The latest example is a first contract secured by recently organized members of our growing labor family that included extraordinary economic gains and unprecedented employment protections. The local Paraprofessionals & School-Related Personnel (PSRP) union’s victory is the focus of our latest collective bargaining wins report.
For years, tutors, climate specialists, behavioral techs and job coaches in Meriden Public Schools lacked the economic benefits and workplace rights enjoyed by the vast majority of their colleagues. In 2022, this formerly fractured group joined together in order to change that and reached out to AFT Connecticut for support in organizing a union.
In April of 2023, the Connecticut State Board of Labor Relations (SBLR) certified their majority vote to form a chapter of our affiliated Meriden Federation of Teachers. The organizing committee of activists who had spearheaded the drive quickly turned their attention to achieving their top priority as a new union; a binding contract with district officials.
Click here for last year’s formal public introduction of our Meriden Federation of Education Personnel.
With the help of AFT Connecticut Field Representative Ed Leavy (left, in right photo, above), the committee began negotiations in February and achieved a final tentative agreement in early August. Together, they secured a dispute resolution process, seniority rights, as well as minimum salaries for each job title and paid leave and holidays for the entire workforce. The first-ever contract also provides guaranteed wage increases for all members in each of the next three years.
“We feel this is a good start and hope we can continue to build on the contract in the future,” said Lisa Bath (far left, in left photo), who served on the chapter’s negotiating committee. “Without AFT Connecticut’s assistance we would have continued working without these rights and fair compensation,” added Bath, a job coach in the district’s Community Classroom Collaborative.
“Knowing that we now have a collective and united voice with benefits and protection is a real win,” said Ken Butricks (second from left, in right photo), who also served on the committee. “Members of this bargaining unit really had no benefits to speak of and zero protection. Some never received raises and none of our members received any paid sick leave,” added Butricks, a climate specialist at Hanover Elementary School.
Meriden’s board of education voted to approve the tentative agreement last month, which is retroactive to September 1.
Click here to share the graphic publicizing the membership’s new contract.
Negotiating a first union contract can be a long and difficult process, typically taking well over a year to conclude. Bath, Butricks and their fellow committee members deserve enormous credit for their consistent collaboration with each other and their steadfast commitment to their colleagues’ shared objectives.
“I am thrilled to have these benefits after working for the past 12 years without them,” added Bath. “I would encourage any employee group without representation to consider choosing ‘Union YES.'”
“We hope that other school employees not represented by a union see that it is possible to achieve what we did,” Butricks added. “They too can be awarded protection and much deserved benefits for the meaningful work they do with our youth.”
Seven additional collective bargaining wins have been celebrated since our previous report in June. At press time, four additional local union contract settlements and a state labor board decision had been secured but not yet finalized or announced. They are tentatively slated for inclusion in the next quarterly update.
Click here for the announcement of our North Branford Federation of Paraprofessionals’ contract victory.
Click here for a collage of Colchester Federation of Education Personnel members voting on their new agreement.
Click here for a photograph of our EASTCONN Federation of Educational Personnel’s negotiating committee celebrating their new agreement.
Click here for a graphic featuring leaders of our Region 13 Support Staff Association commemorating their contract’s ratification.
Click here to share our Salem Federation of Teachers’ latest arbitration decision win.
Click here for a graphic featuring our East Hartford School RNs’ members ratifying their new tentative agreement.
Click here for the announcement of final approval for our New London Federation of Education Personnel’s successor agreement.
Editor’s note: this report covers a four month period; the next report is tentatively scheduled for January and will resume the regular quarterly schedule.
