Comments on: Custodians and Food Service Workers Reach Agreement

By: k.c. workinguy

k.c. workinguy — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 23:59:06 +0000

Custodians and Cafeteria workers by an overwhelming majority voted to ratify the proposed contract on Saturday February 16. The PPS Board was scheduled to vote on the same proposal on Monday February 25 but at the last moment the vote was shelved. The explanation was that the information the district staff had provided to the board contained significant errors and would have to be revised with corrections . . . Sounds all too familiar to those on the SEIU bargaining team who endured over eight months of similiar numbers crunching fiascos presented by PPS Labor Relations Director Tom Gunn . . . Hey PPS . . Is there an actual bean counter located somewhere in the house ? ? ?

By: Steve Rawley

Steve Rawley — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 15:32:07 +0000

Good points. My “happy” remark was based on a newspaper quote, not actual analysis of the deal.

It’s kind of sickening how eight months of PPS demanding a 33% wage cut makes a three-year wage freeze look good.

By: Anne T.

Anne T. — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 05:23:11 +0000

You are so right KC workingguy.
This is death by a thousand cuts.Two tier wage systems are union-busting. Maybe the whole 34% wage cut was a red herring to distract from the cuts that did get negotiated.
They also had workforce reduction, so that fewer people are doing more work.

By: k.c. workinguy

k.c. workinguy — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 21:53:10 +0000

It is important to note that considerable concessions were given to PPS by the SEIU Custodians. No wage reductions for CURRENT Custodians in their CURRENT job classifications. However any promotion(of which there will be many due to the lack of returnees from 2002 firings) will involve considerable wage reductions from previous aggreements. The Custodians are accepting 3 years wage freeze with no raises not even annual step increases. Entire job classifications have been collapsed downward meaning new hires will be earning much less than veteran employees. While it is a relief for all that a strike seems to have been averted(pending ratification vote by SEIU members)it might be safe to say that many SEIU members will be somewhat less than “Happy”.

Hopefully people will not forget that the Custodians are giving up considerable economic concessions . . . and Hopefully Some Healing Can Begin To Occur After PPS Shoddy Mistreatment Of These Workers In The Wholesale 2002 Firings.

By: Zarwen

Zarwen — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 22:29:57 +0000

It depends on the teacher’s qualifications and seniority. You are correct that $55,000 would not fund a senior teacher, but it could fund a beginning teacher. I am sorry for not being more specific.

By: Steve Rawley

Steve Rawley — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 16:29:58 +0000

Doesn’t a teacher cost more than that when you figure in benefits? I thought it was more like $75,000.

(I saw some specific numbers in a recent budget, but now I can’t recall the exact amounts.)

At any rate, it was not money well spent.

By: Zarwen

Zarwen — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 04:46:51 +0000

Steve, I crunched the numbers: that $55,973.87 would have paid for well over 2,000 custodial service hours.

It could also have funded a full-time teacher for one year.