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Portland Public Schools has struck a tentative deal with its custodians and nutrition workers after nine months of heated negotiations.
About 500 custodians and nutrition workers who are members of the Service Employees International Union Local 503 had been trying to resolve the salary and health benefit issues in their contract, which expired last June and then were extended.
Today, the SEIU Local 503 announced that it had reached a tentative three-year contract deal that “preserves current wages for custodians and provides increases and other advances for nutrition service workers,” according to a news release. “The school district had initially demanded custodians absorb wage decreases of as much as 34 percent and as recently as this week continued to press for cuts of 16-26 percent.”
“This is a victory for workers and for safe and healthy schools,” said Mark Freimark, custodian at Llewelyn Elementary School and a member of the union’s bargaining team. “It affirms that qualified custodians are important to maintaining a proper educational environment and empowers nutrition workers who play an important role feeding 20,000 children every school day. We are grateful for the support of parents, teachers, political and community leaders and members of other unions.”
Custodians were protesting the adjustments to their pay after they were laid off in 2002 in the district’s effort to save costs by using contract janitors.
In 2006, the Oregon Supreme Court ruled that the firings were illegal and ordered the custodians to be reinstated. Only 126 of the 300 custodians returned to the district.
Under the agreement, according to the union, current full-time custodians will continue to earn from $13.25 to $23.62 an hour. Nutrition workers will receive an immediate 2.5 percent wage increase, a second 2.5 percent increase this July and a third 2.5 percent increase in July 2009. They will, for the first time, get Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a paid holiday.
The district will also begin paying as much $826 a month toward custodian and nutrition workers’ health insurance under a complex formula that now provides them an average of $698 a month.
The union has scheduled a ratification vote for Feb. 16.
Portland Public Schools spokesman Matt Shelby said the district is “very pleased. We feel like we’ve made a lot of progress in a short amount of time. We’re very happy we’ve come to an agreement.”
It is so amazing how the least of these are treated as third class citizens in an America that is supposed to be classless. America has decided that the blue collar worker does not deserve a living wage. Reaganomics did exactly what they set out to do, which has continued with Bush 1 & 2, reward those at the top. The lie was the money does not trickle down.
The returning custodians have not been welcomed back with open arms, they have been passed up for promotions and are expected to do the work of three men. You win a lawsuit and feel that all is right with the world and find that there really is no justice.
(email verified)
Wed, Feb 06, 2008 at 09:08 AM
I thought Clinton was in there Somewhere. J.jones
Oh Yea and Bush, and the republicans, and the right, and big business, and GIVE IT A REST!!!!
You only sound like a Crybaby.
$826 a Month for Health Care.
Lets get the Burger Flippers the Same Deal.
Nowhere but a public Employee Janitor or Kitchen Staff will you get such great pay and Benifits.
(email verified)
Wed, Feb 06, 2008 at 11:45 AM
Let's see... a school district kitchen worker works only during the school year. That's 190 days minus the "teacher prep days" given away to teachers so they won't have to really work a full year. So let's say the school kitchen workers work 185 days.
Their day is about six hours long.
So they work 185 days times six hours each day for a total of 1110 hours of actual work per year.
The benefits cost $826 per month or $9912.00 per year.
This means the citizens are paying $8.93 per hour just for benefits for these people.
And the school district wants taxpayers to pass a bond levy?
(email verified)
Wed, Feb 06, 2008 at 12:14 PM
J Jones - what brilliant deduction did you make that brought you around to Reaganomics? Do you even know what it is? Our economy grew during the Reagan-Bush years, so did the Treasury and our salaries grew during that time to. The Clinton years brought stagnant job growth, higher health care costs, and lower incomes for most every working American and lower Federal Treasury incomes from income taxes.
(email verified)
Wed, Feb 06, 2008 at 12:44 PM
i think that the custodial staff deserves evrey once of money they earn. they work that they do is the work that 3 people should be doing and their sections or routes that they do a far larger than what they were in the past. there is so much they do and very seldom do they get the recognition that they deserve.
(email verified)
Wed, Feb 06, 2008 at 01:13 PM
In what time zone does Matt, the spokesperson for Portland Public Schools, live in, to say that over 9 months to reach an agreement is a "short amount of time"? The real deal is that Custodians and Nutrition Service workers, together with their families, Union brothers and sisters, community allies, teachers, parents, and students, persevered longer than anyone should have to, and never stopped organizing, in order to make this progress. I have to believe our new Superintendent finally provided the leadership to help our School Board grapple with the hard decisions and be the role model for kids they urge us all to be. We are so fortunate to have these amazing custodians and food service workers in our schools with our kids, keeping them safe, fed well, and cared for.
(email verified)
Wed, Feb 06, 2008 at 02:22 PM
fohgettabouttit,It's Crazy; I would like to see these 2 go and do what a custodian does for example clean a boiler and do a section of work which usually consist of 10-15 class rooms and atleast 6 big restrooms all in oneday .For your information a janitor is some one who cleans a custodian on the other hand does many things such as maintaining the heating, cleaning, securing, grounds maint.,fire life safety, ect. and as for taxes I too pay taxes
(email verified)
Wed, Feb 06, 2008 at 11:44 PM
JUST SO EVEYONE KNOWS! The nutrition workers only get paid when they work. The other thing is that when I was going to school here in Portland there were about 600 custodians. Now there are only 300 of us. Same square footage as before. And when was the last time any of you people who complain about the schools have been in one? You can follow us around any time to see what we do for your city.
(email verified)
Thu, Feb 07, 2008 at 06:26 AM
Yayyy for the janitors!
YES, even janitors deserve livable wage and benefits!
All the crap they have put up with from this school district!
How much does the superintendent make?
The janitor is more important!
(email verified)
Thu, Feb 07, 2008 at 07:39 AM
The complete disgusting ARROGANCE of some people that actually think that they are more important than a
janitor.
"when the game if over the king and the pawn both go back in the same box"
Words to live by you arrogant S.O.B's
(email verified)
Thu, Feb 07, 2008 at 07:42 AM
Ridiculous waste of money. You don't pay people what they "deserve" comrade, you pay them as much as you need to in order to get the job done. That's how the real world works. These "health" benefits are crazy expensive. There are people out there who are willing to do the same job for less but can't break in to the racket.
(email verified)
Thu, Feb 07, 2008 at 08:12 AM
Any Job that requires more than two employees is Sub Contracted Out.
And most of the Food is Provided by a third Party, Mariott Services. The kitchen Staff Heat it Up and make Tacos.
(email verified)
Thu, Feb 07, 2008 at 11:04 AM
They get a deal and the tax payers get the shaft, typical Portland!
(email verified)
Thu, Feb 07, 2008 at 11:13 AM
Convey your feelings to the PPS for this outrageous largesse. Vote NO! on all future levies!
(email verified)
Thu, Feb 07, 2008 at 11:23 AM
photoguy:
I agree with you. That's why I supprot higher taxes. It's not about what you *deserve* to keep. It's about how little can I leave you with before you give up working and paying taxes.
Glad we agree.
(email verified)
Thu, Feb 07, 2008 at 12:31 PM
Current Grunt,
You say PPS has the same square footage as before? What about all the schools that have been closed over the past 35 years?
(email verified)
Thu, Feb 07, 2008 at 12:54 PM
Over. Paid.
(email verified)
Thu, Feb 07, 2008 at 03:46 PM
Hey Zarwen, The District may have closed some schools down, but the 80+ buildings that are still open have'nt shrunk.
(email verified)
Fri, Feb 08, 2008 at 12:29 AM
The school district got exactly what it wanted, a three year pay freeze with the exception of custodians that qualify for a longevity raise. For all of those of you that work in the private sector, what would your reaction be if you came into work and your employer informed you that you were overpaid for the job you do and your wage was going to be cut twenty-six to thirty-three percent. It doesn't happen because nobody in their right mind would put up with it. As far as benefits don't you think the people that are exposed to, and clean up the nastiest parts of our society should have a right to the best benefits ? Stop by any time and clean a high school boys restroom, you'll want good benefits I guarentee it !
(email verified)
Fri, Feb 08, 2008 at 01:04 AM
Then quit Complaining and get a better job!!!!!
No Janitors other than state employees make the money PPS janitors make.
You always complain about your pay and the hard work you do, then go get a job with better pay and less work.
Go be a janitor in a fancy office building, Oh yea you won't make more than $10-$12 bucks an hr. because thats what the market will bring for that kind of work.
(email verified)
Fri, Feb 08, 2008 at 07:10 AM
Janitors are important contributing members of society. That said, it is important to draw the distinction between a janitor and a public school custodian. Custodians are the stewards of the publics facilities.They are the on site facility managers. They provide a safe secure environment for students, staff and all community users of our facilities. They provide the day to day operational support to all school programs. They interact with a diverse clientelle using the facilities. They monitor and respond to all scenarios involving the maintenance and security of our school buildings. Yes, custodians perform a good deal of janitorial work, but they are also responsible for so very much more insofar as they make major contributions in providing for a positive school climate for our kids ! ! !
(email verified)
Sun, Feb 10, 2008 at 06:12 AM
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Re: Portland school district reaches deal with employees
That is great news! I'm happy for all the workers. The quality you get from these vested team members is well worth their pay.
How is the district happy about trying to cut their pay by some 34 percent to signing this agreement?
TiredOfItAll
"TiredOfItAll"
(email verified)
Wed, Feb 06, 2008 at 06:02 AM