Parents turn out in force to support instructional assistants

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.acorn-online.com/news/publish/greenwich/33623.shtml

May 15, 2008

By Ken Borsuk, Staff Reporter


A crowd of more than 40 turned out on Thursday to support the school district’s instructional aides in contract negotiations with the Board of Education. In front, from left, Pat Ferris, Diane Corba, Chieny Nobunaga, Dan Edelstein, Claire Golden, Carl White, Casey Kelly and Philippa Orszulak all held signs of support. — Ken Borsuk photo

Chanting “appreciate don’t denigrate” and “respect not neglect,” Greenwich parents marched this morning in support of the public schools’ instructional assistants, who are at an impasse with the Board of Education in negotiations over a new contract.

A binding arbitration hearing is set for June 24, after more than a year of negotiations. Assistants are balking at the already low salaries they receive and at proposed cuts in benefits, including a loss of sick days and an increase in health care premiums they claim would force them to retroactively pay back up to $2,000 to the town.

Lynn Mason, business manager for Laborers International Local Union No. 136, which represents the instructional assistants, was one of the marchers and spoke at a rally Thursday. She said the union declared the impasse because no progress was being made in the negotiations and workers wanted the public to know what was going on.

“Many of the parents were shocked to learn how little assistants make,” Ms. Mason told the Post before the march. Full-time, starting salaries are $19,500 and they top out at $25,000 after 20 years.

“We did a comparison of five neighboring districts and our assistants are grossly underpaid by industry standards,” she said. “Assistants in Darien make $7 an hour more than our folks here do.”

Ms. Mason said that the board’s contract demands would force assistants to work in other towns where they would be paid more and it would cause the quality of Greenwich’s education to go down. She said the assistants are asking for a wage and benefit package comparable to other districts.

FULL story at link.