School Custodians Get New Contract

If there was a collective bargaining unit that deserved a raise, it would be the Cranston Custodian’s Union, N.A.G.E. Local 153.

In 2012, the union accepted a 15 percent wage cut to help the district save $2 million over three years in an agreement that spared the union from seeing their jobs outsourced.

At the time, the School Committee was considering outsourcing custodial services in an effort to save money. Along with accepting major cuts in pay and benefits, as well as the adoption of 401(k) style retirement accounts, the union argued that quality of service would drop if outsourcing took place.

The union claimed that the average salary for a custodian would fall from $37,000 to $20,000 on average and their benefits would be much worse if outsourced.

On Monday, the Cranston City Council ratified the new contract, which gives custodians a 3 percent raise in the 2014-2015 year and a re-opener is in place for years two and three of the contract, which leaves the doors open for more raises, depending on the district’s overall financial picture.

“Things are better now, so the contract gives them the raise of three percent in year one, and going into it, we can reopen it depending on financial conditions,” Votto said.

The new contract keeps the health insurance cost share at 20 percent, which doubled from 10 percent in 2012, along with prescription drug copayments.

The full contract can be viewed here: http://web.cranstonri.org/clerkdocs/2014Ordinances/Proposed/7-14-1Custodian_NAGELocalRI153-2014.pdf