Impasse Continues In Amherst Educators’ Contract Negotiations

The Amherst Pelham Education Association (APEA) and The Regional School Committee (RSC) came away from their latest bargaining session on Tuesday May 2, with a significant gulf in their understandings of the state of negotiations.  In an email sent to parents on May 2, the RSC said that they believed that they had met many of the demands of the APEA in formulating their “last best offer” and they believed that they were close to an agreement.  According to RSC chair Ben Herrington, this means that the current offer “is the last offer we will bring forward to the union. If they do not accept the offer, the next step in mediation is to enter into fact-finding”.  Under fact finding, the Mass Department of Labor Relations (DLR) will appoint a fact finder to assess the facts of the case and make recommendations for resolution of the impasse. If the parties are unable to reach agreement after the fact-finder issues his/her report, the DLR mediator contacts the parties and schedules additional mediation to assist them in resolving the dispute. If the Director believes that no additional mediation will resolve the impasse, the mediator no longer works with the parties on impasse.

The RSC’s offer included cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) of 9% over the 3-year contract (3% per year). They also offered an increase to the minimum wage for paraeducators from $17.13 to $18.33, added an additional 3.5% increase for paraeducators at the top of the pay scale, and included a significant reclassification of clerical staff that offers an additional 5-10% increase for clerical staff in the lowest-paid category. They asserted that the offer would make Amherst teachers and paraeducators among the best compensated in the region and expressed their hope that this offer would bring negotiations to a conclusion at their next meeting with the APEA scheduled for May 24.  The full text of their email is provided below.

In contrast the APEA, in a press release issued on May 3, stated that the district did not communicate during the last bargaining session that their offer was their “last best offer” and that the union believes that “there is still plenty of room to negotiate”. APEA took exception to the district’s claim that the offer would make Amherst educators among the best paid in the region stating “Our teachers on the bottom steps are some of the lowest paid educators in the region.” APEA suggested that the current trend of the district hiring most paras at the top step of $25/hour suggests that they are unable to find staff without paying a living wage and that they are financially capable of paying the requested minimum of $20.50 starting pay for paraeducators.

APEA has agreed to a cost of living adjustment (COLA) of 3% retroactive for the first year of the contracts for teachers and clerical (including a reclassification), and have countered the RSC offer with a proposal for  3.5% COLA in year two, and 4% in year three.” The APEA has asked for a minimum of $20.50 starting pay for paraeducators for year one, and COLA of 3.5% and 4% in years two and three.

APEA President Meka Magee noted that at the previous all-members meeting on March 29, APEA members rejected the school committee’s offer and directed the bargaining team to continue to negotiate. “The bargaining team did not support the previous offer and does not support the current offer,” she said.

The complete APEA press release follows the district’s statement below.

Regional School Committee Statement Of May 2, 2023
We would like to provide an update regarding our contract negotiations with the Amherst Pelham Educators Association (APEA), the union that represents teachers, paraeducators, and clerical staff in our three school districts (Amherst elementary, Pelham elementary, and Regional). 

After 6 months of negotiation and 9 months of mediation, we presented our last best offer which included cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) of 9% over the 3-year contract (3% per year). We also offered an increase to the minimum wage for paraeducators from $17.13 to $18.33, added an additional 3.5% increase for paraeducators at the top of the pay scale, and included a significant reclassification of clerical staff that offers an additional 5-10% increase for clerical staff in the lowest-paid category.

Our proposal addresses the concerns expressed by the APEA as well as by many of you. This summary provides an overview of the key parts of our proposal.

1. Provide a living wage for paraeducators.      

• Our proposal provides a minimum wage for paraeducators of $18.33, which is higher than the living wage for Hampshire county ($16.28, see “Living Wage Calculator”).
• The APEA had asked for a wage increase of 6% for paraeducators. Our proposal gives all paraeducators an increase of at least 6% this year, through a 3% COLA and seniority increases for all of at least 3%, Most paraeducators will receive a more than 6% increase in the following years of the contract through a 3% COLA and seniority increases of 3% or more each year.
• We also agreed to several other increases requested by the APEA, including additional compensation for paraeducators:
  • with registered behavior technician or safety care certification,
  • with bachelors’ degrees in specific areas, and
  • with 1-to-1 toileting responsibilities.
• Under our proposal, paraeducators in our districts will be paid higher than paraeducators in most surrounding districts. Paraeducators also receive benefits such as pensions, health insurance, 10 paid holidays, and have a contracted work year of 181 6.5-hour days.
  
  Provide fair and competitive compensation for teachers.

• In addition to the 9% COLA over the 3 years of the contract, our proposal also includes a salary schedule with annual seniority increases of about 3.5-4.0%.
• Under our proposal, teachers with the most years of experience (more than half of teachers in our districts) will be the highest paid teachers in our region.

• Our proposed COLA is equivalent to or higher than the COLA agreed to in South Hadley, Northampton, and many other districts across the state, ensuring salaries in our districts remain competitive within the region.
  
  Restructure compensation grid for clerical staff.

• We agreed to the APEA request to restructure the framework that defines compensation for clerical staff. Under this framework, clerical staff in the lowest-paid category will get an additional 5-10% increase this year.
• We agreed to the APEA request for an additional stipend for certain clerical staff who have proficiency in a language other than English
• Under our proposal, clerical staff will receive a COLA of 9% over the 3 years of the contract.
  
  Why can’t the RSC offer more?

• Funding for schools comes primarily from the municipal property taxes from our towns. We asked for additional funding from each of the four towns of our districts, on multiple occasions, and each town has said ‘no.’
• We have to work with the funding we receive, and by law, we must balance our school budgets, as painful or difficult as that may be. Without a significant source of new funding, budgeted pay increases need to be in line with the annual funding increases we receive from the towns.
• Our school budgets must balance multiple, highly-valued investment areas, such as teacher and staff pay, diverse programs and services to meet student needs and interests, and class sizes. Our proposal maximizes compensation increases while maintaining our budgeted programs and services.

We believe our last best offer provides an excellent compensation package that keeps our employees among the highest paid in the area. We are hopeful that this will bring our protracted negotiations to resolution at our next meeting on May 24.

APEA Statement of May 3, 2023
Amherst Educators Steadfast on Continuing Negotiations

Amherst Pelham Education Association (APEA) continues to negotiate a living wage for paraeducators, our lowest paid workers. The School Committee did not communicate to the APEA during the last negotiation session that the offer presented on May 1st was their last best offer. APEA President Lamicko Magee stated, “We believe that there is still room to negotiate.”

President Magee further asserted, “Our teachers on the bottom steps are some of the lowest paid educators in the region. We have agreement on a cost of living adjustment (COLA) of 3% retroactive for the first year of the contracts for teachers and clerical (including a reclassification), and have countered 3.5% in year two, and 4% in year three.” The APEA has asked for a minimum of $20.50 starting pay for paraeducators for year one, and COLA of 3.5% and 4% in years two and three. 

The APEA has learned that, currently, the district pays an average of over $21 starting pay for paraeducators hired in the past year, and has hired more paras at the top step, over $25 per hour, in the previous school year than any other step. Their actions demonstrate that they are unable to find staff without paying a living wage and that they are financially capable of paying a minimum of $20.50 starting pay for paraeducators.

There will be an all-members meeting on May 16th to present the latest offer to the membership and conduct a straw poll prior to the next negotiation session on May 24th. At the previous all-members meeting on March 29th, a straw poll was taken. APEA members rejected the school committee’s offer and directed the bargaining team to continue to negotiate. The bargaining team did not support the previous offer and does not support the current offer.

Meka Magee
APEA President