Granby BoS Approves New Teachers' Agreement

The Granby Board of Selectmen at its regular meeting on Monday unanimously approved a new three-year collective bargaining agreement between the teachers’ union and the Board of Education that calls for a total salary increase of 6.4 percent over the life of the contract.

Specifically, the agreement, which runs from July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2015, calls for members of the Granby Education Association to receive a 1.28 percent salary increase in year one, a 2.5 percent salary increase in year two and a 2.5 percent increase in year three.

There are step freezes in the first and third year of the agreement, with a Step 1 increase of 4.6 to 5 percent over the life of the agreement and top-step increases of 3.94 percent over the three years. Coaching and extra-curricular positions' stipends increased annually by 1.31 percent.

While the teachers’ union gained a wage increase, its members must also contribute more to their health benefits coverage.

The premium share, for example, increases in every year, from 17.5 percent in 2011-12 to 18.5 percent in the first year of the agreement in 2012-13, to 19.5 percent in 2013-14 and 20.5 percent in 2014-15.

Contributions for HSA (from 13 percent now to 16 percent in the final year), specialists ($30 to $40 in the final year), inpatient care ($350 to $400), outpatient care ($250 to $300) and radiological ($0 to $75) also increase over the life of the agreement.

School board Chairman Cal Heminway told the Selectmen that Granby teacher salaries are right in the middle of its district reference group (DRG) and that the school board is among the most aggressive in the state in terms of health benefits contributions.

“[The salary increase] is consistent with what we have seen from other towns and with our own internal process,” Heminway said.

First Selectman John Adams asked if there would have been any benefit to going to salary arbitration.

“Why go to arbitration on 2 percent [salary increases] per year?” Heminway responded. “There is no advantage financially and all kinds of disadvantages from an employer relations perspective going to arbitration.”

Superintendent of Schools Alan Addley said in an interview after the vote that he was pleased with the agreement, particularly in light of the wage freeze the teachers agreed to last year.

“I think it is a reasonable, fair agreement given the climate that we’re in,” Addley said. “I want to thank the teachers for working with us.”

Laurence Coxon, president of the Granby Education Association, also expressed his satisfaction with both the agreement and the process by which it was achieved.

“We set out to make it as collaborative an effort as possible,” Coxon said. “It went well. Both sides worked with the town’s interests [at heart].”