The association representing Altamont support staff employees announced today that a strike could begin on Tuesday (April 19, 2016) if no agreement is reached at its next bargaining session Monday evening (April 18, 2016).
“It’s very disappointing to us that this has become necessary,” said Charlene Calhoun, president of the Altamont Educational Support Staff Association (AESSA). “But the district has been very unfair to us. It hasn’t had a new proposal since it offered us a nickel raise in August. All other employees in the district, including the highest paid employees, have already received decent raises. We aren’t worth less. We care about the students like other employees. We work hard. We deserve fairness, too.”
AESPA represents the districts’ bus drivers, cooks, secretaries, custodians, teacher aides, and groundskeepers. The potential for strike comes 23 months after negotiations began. The sides have met for talks approximately 17 times since May of 2014 with little progress to report.
“We understand the district can’t compensate us as much as our counterparts in surrounding districts given the current state of school funding, but they should be able to make an offer that keeps the gap from getting bigger. We deserve a genuine effort from the district to reach an agreement.”
