Monroe school district, nonteachers OK pact

5/25/2011

MONROE -- The Monroe County Intermediate School District and the bargaining unit that represents roughly half the district's employees have ratified a new contract.

The board of education and the 165-member Education Personnel Support Association, which represents bus drivers, bus aides, teacher aides, secretaries, and custodians in April approved a contract to replace one that expired June 30, 2010.

According to school and union officials, the employees receive no permanent salary raises, and instead got "off the scale" 1 percent increases, which essentially are temporary one-year raises.

The contract also doubled the length of time for longevity pay.

Betsy Taylor, assistant superintendent, said the five-step yearly process to get to the top of the pay scale was replaced with a 10-step annual system.

Under the new contract the hourly wage rate range from beginning to employees at the top of the scale is as follows:

 Secretaries, $14.66 to $17.90, teacher aides, $11.11 to $15.48, bus drivers, $12.99 to 17:49, custodians, $15.02 to $19.38, and bus aides, $9.46 to $11.50.

The new agreement provides for a reopener to negotiate wages beginning June 30, 2012, and health care concessions that will cause workers to pay more in out-of-pocket expenses.

Employees agreed to accept $200 for single coverage and $400 for family coverage in network insurance deductible, $10 co-payment for office visits, $25 co-payment for urgent-care treatment, and $50 co-payment for emergency-room treatment.