Two sublocals of UE Local 222, a statewide amalgamated public-sector local, settled new contracts this fall.
Librarians in Rocky Hill, members of Sublocal 39, ratified and signed their contract in late August. Their main issues were gaining extra personal time and a reorganization of the pay scale to make it equitable to new hires, as well as being placed in alignment with other union wages within the town. The union also discussed with the town problems with overtime pay caused by the former library director, which had just recently been brought to the union’s attention.
The new contract allots the librarians another personal day. Personal time and vacation time will now be front loaded. The contract’s new wage scale is more in alignment with the other unions in the town and the library itself, and provides workers with immediate wage increases of between 4 and 11.9 percent. Wages will increase in the following years of the contract by 4, 4.25, 4.50 and 4.75 percent.
The Local 222-39 negotiating committee consisted of Shannon Schooley and Jennifer Zappulla.
At the Woodbridge Board of Education, the custodians, administrative assistants and food service workers of Sublocal 80 ratified a new contract at the end of September. Members’ wages will increase 9.6 percent over the three years of the contract, about two percent above the average of three-year contracts negotiated in Connecticut this year. They were also able to hold the increases to their share of health care premium costs to approximately three to four percent below the average increases around the state; workers’ share will go up one percent each year, rising to only 15 percent for single or two-person and 17.5 percent for family plans by the end of the contract.
The local also made some changes to contract language, putting new language in place to provide 10-month full-time employees with 10 sick days each fiscal year, and allowing sick leave to be taken in half-day increments. The employer will now accept notes from advanced practice nurses (APRNs) or physician’s assistants, as well as from physicians, when a worker is in the hospital or receiving outpatient care. The sublocal also won a $100.00 increase on their clothing allowance, defeating the board’s attempt to lower it by $100. The Board reserved the right to designate specific vendors and/or specifications for such special clothing or footwear but have nothing in mind for the near future.
The Local 222-80 negotiating committee consisted of Jack Sisson, Lola Johnson and Jennifer Pawlak. Both sublocals were assisted by Field Organizer Annie Bulger MacDonald.