Here is the Daily Gazette's article about the contract settlement: www.dailygazette.com/news/2011/may/27/0527scotia/

June 8, 2011

The Board of Education has settled a contract with the 83 members of the union representing the school district's school aides and monitors.

The three-year pact runs from July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2012. The agreement was approved by the Board of Education at its May 23 meeting.

"We are very pleased that we have reached agreement with our school aides and monitors," said Superintendent Susan Swartz. "They are part of that fundamentla fabric of our schools that children and parents rely on every day of the year."

The contract calls for hourly pay raises of 3 percent for the 2009-10 school year, 2 percent for the 2010-11 school  year and 2 percent for the 2011-12 school year. Employees hired after July 1, 2011 will be paid a minimum hourly rate of $9.20.

Employees will also receive longetivity hourly raises of 20 cents per hour after 7 years, 30 cents per hour after 10 years, 40 cents per hour after 11 years and 50 cents per hour after 12 years of service.

As well, effective July 1, 2011, traditional community-based Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) CDPHP and MVP will no longer be available; employees will be able to enroll in an Exclusive Provider Organization (EPO) administered by CDPHP. The EPO has lower premium costs than a community-based HMO because it is based on an exclusive,smaller group of employees, in this case school district employees. They tend to have a better health experience than the community at large.

Other labor unions at Scotia-Glenville - including the administrators, local 766 maintenance and bus drivers, nurses and secretaries - have agreed to change from offering HMOs to an EPO.

The monitors and teacher aides are represented by the Scotia-Glenville Teachers' Association, School Aides and Monitors Unit.