Talks between school workers and Croton-Harmon school officials break down. The two sides head to mediation. [Updated]
Several months of negotiations have failed to produce an agreement. Will community support for these low-paid workers continue to build?
In late breaking news this afternoon, June 11, the last round of negotiations between the Aides of Croton United (ACU) and Croton-Harmon school officials failed to achieve an agreement for a new contract. The old contract expires this month, so the two sides will now move to mediation to try to resolve their differences.
“I am deeply disappointed at the outcome of our meeting with the district,” ACU president Jean Avolio told the Chronicle. “The district has saved literally millions of dollars since appointing teachers’ aides by not providing them with health insurance. We can only hope that an impartial mediator will see the justice of our cause.”
Hopes had been high in recent weeks because of clear signs that support for the school workers was building in the community. (The Chronicle has also editorialized in favor of these low-paid, hard working aides.)
“The community has been amazing,” Avolio added. "They have sent countless letters to Superintendent Walker and to the Board. We are incredibly grateful for their support.”
(We have asked Stephen Walker to comment and will update this story if we hear from him. In the past he has declined to comment on these negotiations.)
Exactly how and when a mediator will be appointed has not yet been decided. In the meantime, the district’s school workers are left without the protection of a union contract.
Update: We have since learned that while the two sides enter into mediation, the current contract remains in force even if it passes its expiration date. We apologize for the error our rhetorical flourish introduced into the last sentence of this story.
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As I've already commented elsewhere I'm strongly supportive of your coverage of this issue and of the editorial slant you're taking on it. Thanks again for this prompt update about the call for mediation.
That said, I'm confused by the conclusion here "left without the protection of a union contract". (The implication is that if mediation doesn't succeed before June 30 then the contract will lapse?) I'd expect that as employees of a public agency with membership in a recognized bargaining agent, they're covered by the NY Taylor law including the Triborough Amendment. TCC's coverage of the district's bullying threat about 'reporting work stoppage talk' seems consistent with this. The way NY union law works for public employees (generally?) is that they aren't allowed to strike (which is why actual 'work stoppage talk' would be reportable), but if the contract term expires without a new bargaining agreement then the terms of the old agreement will remain in place until a new one is ratified.
Unless TCC has reason to believe that the legal framework in this case would be different, I would recommend a clarification?
[Edit log - I seem to hav omitted to type the word 'ratified' at the end of P2 in the original comment.]
Any update on this? Are they still at an impasse?