Mediation between Croton-Harmon school aides and district officials begins on Monday. How did we get to this impasse?
The Chronicle publishes a guide to the breakdown of contract talks between the two sides. The aides have been working without a new contract for nearly seven months.
Jean Avolio has worked for the Croton-Harmon school district for 19 years. She is also president of the Aides of Croton United (ACU), the collective bargaining unit for Teacher Aides, Lunch Monitors, and Food Service Helpers in the district’s three schools. She and others organized the ACU nine years ago to represent the lowest paid workers in Croton’s school system, a group of nearly 60 employees. The current contract with the district went into effect July 1, 2021. It expired last June 30.
Despite months of negotiations, the ACU and the district have not been able to agree on a new contract. On Monday January 13 at 3 pm, the dispute will go before a mediator. The first session will be held at the Croton-Harmon district offices on Gerstein Street.
In 2023, Avolio went to the district three times asking for financial help for the ACU’s members, “because we were all struggling.” She says the district said no, telling the union that it would have to wait for the next contract negotiations. At times, members of the union, along with supportive teachers and other colleagues, had to take up collections for employees who were financially strapped and were often working other jobs to make ends meet.
Croton is a relatively well-off community, but its Teacher Aides and food service workers are among the lowest paid in Westchester County. Over the past several years more than 60 members of the bargaining unit have left for other jobs, a very high turnover that could hardly be good for the students nor the teachers who rely heavily on Teacher Aides for help in the classroom.
The Croton Chronicle has followed this story closely, and editorialized a number of times in favor of these low paid workers getting a better deal from the district. They have received a lot of support from the community, but the school district and its well paid superintendents have remained adamant that they should be given only the minimum gains in salary and working conditions. For those who want to get up to speed, here are the main articles we have published.
After the mediation is completed, it will take some weeks for the mediator to prepare their report, and then several more weeks before it is likely to be made public. Please continue to follow the Chronicle’s coverage for more details.
Please click on the links to read our stories.
April 4, 2024: Lowest paid workers in Croton-Harmon schools hope for a better deal as negotiations for a new contract begin
May 30, 2024: Low paid Croton-Harmon school workers, frustrated by lowball offers from district officials, may seek employment elsewhere
June 11, 2024: Talks between school workers and Croton-Harmon school officials break down. The two sides head to mediation.
August 12, 2024: Guest Editorial: School workers union president says, give us a "livable wage."
December 18, 2024: School workers say they sought compromise with the Croton-Harmon district on a new contract, but district officials forced them back into mediation.
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Thank you for this unfortunate update. District officials continue to live up to that motto....I guess this is "WHAT SCHOOL CAN BE".....indeed....