North Allegheny approves contract with custodial, maintenance employees

Oct. 28--The North Allegheny School Board has approved a contract with the union representing the district's 74 custodial and maintenance employees.

The board voted unanimously on Oct. 26 to ratify an agreement with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

Members of the union's leadership attended the meeting to sign the contract, which was ratified by the rank-and-file the previous week. Employees will receive 50-cent per hour raises in each of the five years covered by the pact.

The union agreed to a concession that will affect the medical insurance new employees will receive, according to Laura Jo Welter, the district's director of human resources.

"Moving forward, new hires will only be offered individual (health insurance) coverage," she said, adding that they can pay to add family members to their polices.

Welter noted that the family coverage current employees receive cost the district an average of $19,000 a year per worker compared to $8,000 for the individual policies new employees will be offered.

Welter said the year-long contract negotiations were not always easy.

"They were a challenging group at times, but we kept decorum in the room. They were highly professional, they came well prepared and I think we really made it through unscathed," she said. "I think both sides came out feeling that something good came out of it."

The human resources director joined a chorus of school officials who praised the work and dedication of the employees.

"They really do work hard," she said. "They care about their work and they are committed to the district."

Superintendent Robert Scherrer said the custodial and maintenance workers "are vital to what we do each and every day."

"Maintaining our buildings and making sure that they look the way that they do, we realize how fortunate we are to have the people we have in this district," he said.

Board President Tara Fisher said the employees are valued for more than just the job they do cleaning and maintaining the district's facilities.

"The safety and security of our students is obviously our number one priority," she said. "And you all play a significant role in that, so thank you for your contribution."

Tony LaRussa is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-772-6368 or tlarussa@tribweb.com.

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