YONKERS, NY – December 28, 2016 – Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Edwin M. Quezada and Yonkers Federation of Teachers (YFT) President Patricia Puleo today announced that all parties have signed a memorandum of agreement between the Yonkers Board of Education (BOE) and the YFT. The contract will be before the YFT membership for ratification next week when the staff returns from holiday recess.
The new seven year contract retroactively covers all terms of employment for Yonkers Public School teachers dating back to July 1, 2014 and will extend through June 30, 2021. With the negotiated contract complete, the YFT leaders on Friday will sign and submit the New York State’s new teacher-evaluation system, or Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR), to the New York State Department of Education which will allow for $30 million in State aid to the Yonkers School District.
“This is a contract that works for our teachers and Yonkers taxpayers, and I am proud to say that we got it done,” said Mayor Mike Spano. “I applaud the teacher’s union leadership for negotiating in good faith and agreeing to a contract that is fair to our teachers but also reflects the reality of our economic times and what our taxpayers can afford.”
Contract reforms saving taxpayer dollars include an uncapped contribution to healthcare for new hires and an increase in healthcare insurance costs for all teachers. Reform in worker’s compensation also has been agreed to which reduces paid compensation from 60 calendar days to 30 work days.
The new contract also calls for a 14.5% salary increase over seven years. Under the new agreement, YFT members also will see an increase in longevity stipends.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Edwin M. Quezada stated, “We are very pleased to have reached an agreement with the Yonkers Council of Administrators that was adopted by the Trustees at the December 21st Stated Meeting of the Board. Today’s tentative agreement with the Yonkers Federation of Teachers, when approved by the Trustees later this week and ratified by the union’s membership, brings closure to our APPR requirements. These fair and equitable agreements provide five years of stability and enable us to competitively attract quality administrators and teachers. Working with our school administrative teams and teachers we are ready to focus all efforts on improving teaching and learning through the implementation of the District’s 3 Year Strategic Plan. These agreements are one more step in defining sustainable solution for students’ success in Yonkers.”
Dr. Quezada noted, “The negotiating team continues to work in good faith with the Civil Service Employees Association, Inc., Yonkers Non-Teaching Unit, 9169 (CSEA) and look forward to expeditiously reaching an agreement.”
“On behalf of the Trustees, I want to thank Dr. Quezada, the entire negotiating team from the Board of Education, the City of Yonkers and Mayor Spano for their relentless work,” stated Board of Education President Rev. Steve Lopez. “Stabilizing the school district, as well as the community, by settling all of our bargaining unit agreements has been and will continue to be a priority of this Board. We join Dr. Quezada and welcome an expeditious agreement with the CSEA.”
Upon securing this all-too-important memorandum of agreement, YFT President Patricia Puleo stated, “We are pleased we have come to an agreement that recognizes the hard work of our Yonkers teachers. We could not have achieved such an agreement if not for everyone’s leadership throughout the negotiation process and I commend both negotiating teams for their efforts to the benefit of our students”.
“Our agreement with the YFT shows that when the City and union leaders come together, we can achieve compromise, savings and reforms, and do it all in a way that works for the taxpayers and the workforce. I want to thank our dedicated teachers for their commitment to our children and their future,” said Mayor Mike Spano.
YFT is made up of nearly 1,900 Yonkers Public School teachers.
Last week, the Yonkers Board of Education and the Yonkers Council of Administrators (YCA) came to a similar labor contract agreement. The Board of Trustees approved the YCA contract at its December 21 meeting. The YCA represents nearly 120 Yonkers Public School administrators and supervisors.
No comments:
Post a Comment