HOWELL, Mich. - Howell Public Schools maintenance employees have agreed to no pay raises and an increased co-pay for prescription medication in exchange for a commitment that their jobs will not be privatized, according to The Livingston Community News.
The school district and the maintenance employees union, which currently consists of nine hourly employees, reached the three-year agreement following 16 months of negotiations, the News reported. The new contract is retroactive to July 1, 2007, and runs through July 2010.
In addition, the News reported that the workers will pay back to the district 0.5 percent of their pay for the first year, through payroll deductions. The union, represented by the Michigan Education Association, and the school board ratified the new agreement in separate unanimous votes, the article said.
"These employees recognize what (difficult financial times) we're going through," Lynn Parrish, deputy superintendent for labor relations and personnel, told the school board, according to the News.
SOURCE:
The Livingston Community News, "Contract for Howell Schools' maintenance workers," Nov. 12, 2008
FURTHER READING:
The Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Survey 2008: School Service Privatization Grows Again," Sept. 8, 2008
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