Altamont School Support Personnel Disappointed w/State of Negotiations

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Published on March 4 2016 3:39 pm
Last Updated on March 4 2016 3:39 pm
Written by Greg Sapp

The association representing Altamont support staff employees announced today that it will call for the public posting of negotiations proposals from both the Unit 10 school board and association negotiators.

The public posting period is a legal requirement that must be completed in order for employees to engage in a lawful strike. The call for posting comes almost 22 months after negotiations began. The sides have met for talks approximately 16 times since May of 2014 with little progress to report.

“It’s very disappointing to us that this step has become necessary,” said Charlene Calhoun, president of the Altamont Educational Support Staff Association (AESSA). “But the school board has been very unfair to us. It hasn’t had a new proposal since it offered us a nickel raise in August. All other employees in the district, including the highest paid employees, have already received decent raises. We aren’t worth less. We deserve fairness, too.”

AESPA represents the districts’ bus drivers, cooks, secretaries, custodians, teacher aides, groundskeepers and maintenance employees. No strike is planned at this time.

“We still want to give time for the process to work,” Calhoun said. “We hope that the school board will think honestly about our contribution to quality schools, and that it will recognize the unfairness of what it’s currently offering.” Calhoun said several other issues remain unresolved, including inconsistent salary distribution, paid holidays, and extra trip pay for bus drivers.