How to Help Protect the Jobs of Scarborough Custodians and Food Service Employees

You can help protect the pay and benefits and retain our custodians and food service employees

The custodial/food service employees need your support.  The School Board wants to drastically reduce their wages and benefits to below a “living wage.” Now is the time for ACTION!

These employees’ contract expired in June 2012.  Traditional negotiations for a successor agreement came to a halt when three bids came in to outsource the custodial services.  Talks then shifted in response to the Board’s interest in saving money.  After a great deal of research, the Association recently presented the Board with ways to reorganize staff and increase efficiency of operations for a potential savings of approximately $300,000.  These proposals would have preserved bargaining unit staff at their current wages and benefits.

The Association’s proposals to save in the ballpark of $300,000 were rejected by the Board in a recent meeting.  Instead, the Board proposed cutting not only custodial, but also food service, wages and benefits to generate a savings comparable to the $300,000.

As we plan our next steps for community and Association Member support we will need to keep in frequent contact with you. Please connect with us:

·         Find us on Facebook “Scarborough Education Association”

·         Follow our blog: http://scarborougheducationassociation.blogspot.com/

·         Follow us on twitter: SEA_Maine

·         Email us: seamaine@gmail.com and we can add your personal email to a distribution list

·         Let us know if you need paper copies of information mailed to your home. Leave a message at 730-4600 with your address.

 

We need you to take action!

·         Talk to other staff members, parents and community members about the importance of keeping our schools safe for students and staff with valuable employees we know and who are invested in their jobs.

·         Write to and call the Scarborough School Board members and tell them you do not support their consideration to drastically cut wages and benefits for the custodial/food service staff and that you do support paying school employees a living wage comparable with other school communities in the area.  As taxpayers and/or an Association member show your support for quality employees and the safety of staff, students and community members in your schools.

o   Please make your voice heard and contact your Board members today:

Board Members, Email Address and Phone Numbers

Christine Massengill               cmassengill@scarborough.k12.me.us         885-1288

John Cole                                 jcole@scarborough.k12.me.us                      239-0268

Aymie Hardesty                      ahardesty@scarborough.k12.me.us             883-5742

Donna Beeley                          dbeeley@scarborough.k12.me.us                883-3993

Jacquelyn Perry                       jperry@scarborough.k12.me.us                    883-2451

Kelly Murphy                           kmurphy@scarborough.k12.me.us               883-9610

Christopher Caiazzo                ccaiazzo@scarborough.k12.me.us               883-6482

Sadie Tirrell, Junior High School Student Representative

            Katherine Elliot, Senior High School Student Representative

o   All Board members receive post mail at the following address: Scarborough School Department; Attn: “school board member’s name”; P.O. Box 370; Scarborough, ME; 04070-0370.

The community support we build throughout this crisis will be critical to keeping our fellow employees in good jobs with a living wages and benefits. Please join us in keeping the Association strong and prevent the loss of the jobs of fellow employees we count on every day to keep our school safe and running smoothly.

More suggestions and actions will be posted on this blog. With the support from members, taxpayers and the general public we can beat this plan which would result in the loss of our valued staff.
 
Crystal Goodrich

SEA President

Negotiations Move to Meditation

The Scarborough School Board has disappointed the Association by persisting in its efforts to save significant dollars in relation to the custodial and food service employees. 

The Board's interest in outsourcing the custodial staff has led to their effort to have the in-house employees perform work at wages comparable to the outsource companies that are less than a living wage!  And, then they go beyond the sub-par wages and attack benefits as well. 

The parties are proceeding to mediation.  MEA and SEA are committed to doing everything we can to preserve this unit of dedicated employees.

Keep Posted!

Staff throughout the school system have been asking how they can help support the custodians and food service employees as we continue to negotiate their contract.

SEA Members will be receiving communications from the MEA office with more information.

SEA is committed to supporting every one of our members and negotiating fair contracts with good wages and benefits. The negotiations team is meeting again with the School Board soon. SEA will keep you all posted.

Thank you, Crystal Goodrich, SEA President

Find us on Twitter: SEA_Maine
Find our group on Facebook: Scarborough Education Association