Fox Chapel Area School District officials and their custodial and maintenance workers have approved a new five-year contract.
The current contract, which was also a five-year deal, expires June 30.
The new collective bargaining agreement runs July 1 through June 30, 2030.
It impacts 50 workers who are represented by Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ.
The union approved the contract on Jan. 9. The school board voted 8-0 to approve the deal on Jan. 13.
Board member Katie Findley was absent.
Contract terms include:
• Maintenance staff receive annual increases of 80 cents per hour in the first year of the contract, 65 cents an hour in each of the next three years and 60 cents an hour the fifth year.
• Maintenance workers assigned to the athletics department receive annual increases of 75 cents an hour in the first contract year, 55 cents an hour in each of the next three years, and 50 cents an hour in the contract’s final year.
• Custodians hired prior to Dec. 31, 2011, will receive annual increases of 70 cents an hour in the first contract year, 55 cents an hour in the next three contract years and 50 an hour in the last year of the contract.
• Custodians hired after Jan. 1, 2012, are placed in a tier system.
• Those in the top tier will see annual increases of 90 cents an hour in the first contract year, 75 cents an hour in the next three contract years and 70 an hour in the fifth year.
• Hourly rates for lower tiers will be based on a set percentage of the top tier.
• Custodians will step up to the next pay tier at the end of each June.
• The starting rate for all newly hired custodians will increase from $16 per hour this school year to $18 per hour starting next school year.
• Employees will continue to contribute to their health care, paying 12% of premium costs in the first contract year, 12.25% of premium costs in the second year, and 12.5% of premium costs in the contract’s final three years.
• There are caps on the maximum costs incurred by employees in each year of the agreement.
• Maximum costs for health insurance are capped at $260 in the first year, $285 in the second, $310 in the third, $340 in the fourth, and $370 in the fifth year.
• Employer contributions to dental and vision will increase. Employer dental contributions will increase from $45 per month to $60. Employer vision contributions will increase from $10 per month to $12.
Negotiations began in September.
“I think it’s an extremely fair and great deal, especially for the new hires,” said union secretary Brandy Pertinaci. “We worked hard to get our members the best deal and what they deserved. The negotiations were tough at times, but we were also respectful of each other.”
Union president Dennis Carr said Pertinaci was instrumental in crafting the agreement.
“Brandy was phenomenal with all the numbers and was an integral part of our negotiating team,” Carr said.
Eric Hamilton, the school director who is finance committee chair, said it was important for both sides to get a deal done to start the calendar year off strong.
“I’m glad that we are able to negotiate a mutually beneficial agreement and do it fairly early without cutting it close to the deadline,” he said. “It’s always good for both sides to have that in hand well before the previous contract expires.”
The new deal also helps the administration budget for years to come.
“It does remove some uncertainty in the budget process to have that locked down and finalized,” Hamilton said.
Superintendent Mary Catherine Reljac commended the work of the SEIU employees.
“They are critically important to what we do in the district,” she said. “They are a great asset for not only maintaining our facilities but also serving the needs of our academics and our athletics, our arts and really everyone in our community.
“We’re very pleased to be able to continue for another five years in a positive direction.”