ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Allentown School District custodial and maintenance workers have been without a contract for more than five months, but that’s likely to change early next year, union leadership said.
Brian Taylor, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local Union 773, told LehighValleyNews.com he anticipates having a proposed contract that can be put up for a vote within the next two months.
“We are coming close to the finish line."Brian Taylor, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local Union #773 that represents ASD custodial and maintenance workers
“We are coming close to the finish line,” Taylor said Monday.
Last January, the district’s custodial and maintenance workers voted to join Teamsters LU 773, dissolving their independent union of more than 20 years.
Custodial and maintenance workers made the decision despite a letter campaign by ASD, encouraging them to opt for no union representation at all.
At the time, workers said they hoped a larger, stronger union could help them secure a better contract with higher wages.
John Page, a truck driver in ASD who was president of the former union, said Tuesday that he and fellow workers made the right decision.
“It’s been great working with Brian and the Teamsters,” Page said in a statement. “We understand that bargaining a brand new contract takes time and effort.”
But without a new contract just yet, custodians and maintenance workers still are being paid wages based on the last year of their most recent five-year contract, which ended June 30.
Based on those terms, ASD custodians start at an annual salary of $28,773.31. The highest-paid custodians earn $53,809 a year.
Annual pay for ASD mechanics ranges from $41,362.85 to $58,022; the annual pay for ASD groundskeepers from $34,003.60 to $51,812; and the annual pay for ASD truck drivers ranges from $32,434.63 to $50,250.
In January, Taylor described those wages as “almost criminal.”
Negotiations continue
On Monday, Taylor said pay still is the main issue that needs to be worked out in negotiations.
The union and the district have come to a tentative agreement on health care, he said, but that could change as economic discussions continue.
“We’re getting there, but we're not there yet,” he said.
Union representatives met Monday to review the most recent proposal put forward by the district.
“We’ve been engaged in constructive bargaining for some time now, and we are making progress."Jeffrey Sultanik, ASD's solicitor
ASD’s solicitor Jeffrey Sultanik said pay is the top item for discussion during any contract negotiations.
In terms of negotiations with the Teamsters, Sultanik said Monday the two parties are rewriting contract language, too.
That’s because the new collective bargaining agreement will be the first one in which the custodial and maintenance workers are represented by the Teamsters.
Sultanik described negotiations with the Teamsters as “cordial” and “businesslike.”
He declined to make any predictions about when a contract would be finalized.
“We’ve been engaged in constructive bargaining for some time now, and we are making progress,” Sultanik said.
