UPSEU is happy to announce that a tentative agreement for a successor contract has been reached on behalf of the Southington BOE Paraeducators and ABA's. The tentative agreement was approved by 99% of the members who voted on Monday, June 6, 2016.
The new contract addresses numerous areas which have been long desired and deserved by the membership. A few of the highlights from this agreement include but are not limited to the following: significant wage increases (best wage increases in past 15 years for unit), elimination of the two lowest wage steps, no reference to Cadillac/Excise Tax language which was desired by administration, no health insurance changes in year one, health insurance cost shares significantly reduced in years two and three, addition of part-time benefits (sick, personal, bereavement leave), increased life insurance, ability to use sick days for family members, improved seniority and layoff language, and increased stipends.
Unit President Deborah Stevens had the following to say regarding negotiations, "On behalf of the Southington Paraeducators/ABA's, I would like to take this opportunity to say how appreciative we all are for having UPSEU negotiate our second contract! This new contract, that was fully embraced and supported by our members, is an excellent contract! Switching unions was the best decision we ever made as a unit (previously represented by CSEA/SEIU) and this second round of negotiations just solidifies the relationship that we have with UPSEU. The professionalism, support, hard work and compassion provided by Matt Geer of UPSEU was nothing less than stellar! Our unit can proceed into summer break knowing that UPSEU secured the best possible deal for us. We are beyond grateful!"
Matt Geer, UPSEU Regional Coordinator and Chief Negotiator, stated, "Our negotiating committee and membership finally received the respect and recognition for all of their hard work through this new contract. Clearly, our work is not done yet and we will continue to advocate for further improvements in future years, however, this is a giant step in the right direction for the membership. The negotiation committee consisting of Deborah Stevens, Sue Topper, Mary Lynn Wild, Melissa Robarge, Sherri Larose, Hattie Griffin, Nancy Snow, Spencer Richards, Caroline Turek and Lisa Klein were instrumental in securing such a great contract for our Southington BOE Paraeducators/ABA's."
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