NORTHAMPTON — After six months of sometimes contentious negotiations, city and union representatives have reached tentative agreement on three-year contracts covering all unionized school employees.
The deal, subject to ratification, was reached between the city and the Northampton Association of School Employees during a mediation session on Wednesday evening.
In a joint statement, union president Sadie Cora and Mayor David Narkewicz praised “the diligence and commitment” of both sides in reaching “a tentative collective bargaining agreement that will serve the interests of our employees, students, and community.”
NASE — the union that represents school employees including teachers, educational support professionals (ESPs), custodians and cafeteria workers — and the city have been negotiating since February. By May, the two groups reached an impasse and agreed to file for help from a mediator. In total, there were 10 negotiation sessions over the winter and spring and five mediation sessions over the summer, according to Superintendent John Provost.
On Thursday evening, NASE members and their supporters gathered at Pizzeria Paradiso in recognition of the breakthrough. Union members who spoke with the Gazette said the contract is a step forward, but work remains to be done.
“This is just the beginning,” said Jean Flegenheimer, a teacher at Bridge Street School and building delegate for NASE. “We have more plans, and this is only possible because everyone in the district united and worked together.”
Pat Judd, the JFK Middle School cafeteria manager and head cook, and Barbara Rakaska, the Northampton High School cafeteria manager and head cook, said they feel the tentative agreements are a significant victory, although the cafeteria department asked for higher stipends for employees working out of grade.
“I’m happy with most of it,” Judd some. “I’m not happy with some of it. That’s how you bargain.”
But overall, Judd said that she got about “98 percent” of what she wanted.
Not everyone saw the tentative agreements as an overwhelming victory, however.
“It was full-on compromise,” said Sara Churchill-Winsor, a teacher at JFK Middle School and grievances chair with NASE. “We met in the middle.”
In one instance of compromise, Churchill-Winsor said NASE requested 6 percent raises every year for the next three years and was granted 3 percent raises instead. For the past 10 years, she said, the average raise has been 1.08 percent.
The tentative agreements are also a step forward in school employees standing up for themselves, she said.
“We’ve given up a lot to make sure the school committee was placated,” Churchill-Winsor said. “We thought we had to. This is the first year we stood up and said, ‘no more.’ We’re worth it, and our students are worth it.”
Andrea Egitto, Unit A Chapter coordinator for NASE, said she was “really pleased” with the tentative agreements.
“Everyone worked really hard,” she said. “There’s a lot of work to be done to close the gaps between our salaries and neighboring districts.”
Increased pay for teachers has been a central issue. Educators and their supporters protested in support of NASE outside both JFK Middle School and City Hall, as well as speak out at City Council and School Committee meetings.
In response to an impasse in negotiations in May, NASE members began working to rule, meaning they would complete only their contractual obligations. School employees regularly stood outside the school with signs before the day started. A few weeks later, the union filed a charge of prohibited practice with the Massachusetts Labor Relations Commission, accusing the superintendent and some principals of interfering with union activity. And in May, Northampton High School students organized a walkout.
Cora feels the tentative agreements are a victory.
“I think we absolutely feel like it’s a win because it’s a step toward closing the gap,” Cora said, referring to Department of Elementary and Secondary Education data showing that Northampton teachers’ pay is below the state average.
Cora said she could not share any further details until the contract is ratified, when the agreement will be public information.
Narkewicz and Provost also declined to provide details on the contract. The agreement must be voted on by both the School Committee and union members to take effect.
“Nothing is final until then,” Cora said.
NASE plans to hold a vote for members this month. “We hope to have a contract before the first day of school,” Cora said. Provost said the School Committee expects to vote at its next meeting on Aug. 8.
While “some sacrifices were made,” Egitto said, teachers are excited to go back and “start the year with a clean slate” for the upcoming school year.
Staff writer Bera Dunau contributed to this report