Contract ratifications scheduled

Four of the nine union bargaining units have reached a tentative contract agreement. The settlement for each of the four is outlined in the Town Council agenda document. Each has contract language changes in additional to the money agreement.

All four have agreed to a 1.5% increase for FY 2013, a 2% increase for FY 2014 and a 2.5% increase for FY 2015. Three of the four receive a one time cash payment of $600, the fourth (the custodians) receive a $500 cash payment.

The money for the cash payment comes from the extra $151,114 that Franklin received in Oct 2011. This amount was local aid from the State added over and above the amount previously allocated. Franklin put the money aside in a special account. They need to allocate it within FY 2012 or it will roll into the "free cash" account and not be available until the "free cash" is approved later this year.

What this does to the overall question of the teacher contract $350,000 which is scheduled to be drawn back from the Stabilization account for use in the FY 2013 budget remains to be seen. As previously reported here, the FinCom did not specifically approve this transaction although they did approve the total Town budget which requires this amount to balance it. They do have time to vote on it before the Town Council budget hearings are held on May 23-24.

One other note, while so much was made of the teacher increase and how it was communicated, almost glossed over was the increase amounts of .5% for FY 2012 and 1% for FY 2013. Both of these amounts are now equivalent to the Town contract settlements. If it was revealed what increase the is that would be scheduled beyond FY 2013, I have not been able to locate in my notes. I suspect as they are exploring the interest based bargaining approach to addressing the systemic problem with the steps and lanes that there was agreement beyond FY 2013.


Related posts:


Town Council agenda items for May 2, 2012

2. Resolution 12-26: Appropriation: FY 12 Wages (Contract Settlement)3. Resolution 12-27: Ratification of AFSCME Local 1298 Public Safety Telecommunications 4. Resolution 12-28: Ratification of AFSCME Local 1298 Public Facilities Employees5. Resolution 12-29: Ratification of AFSCME Local 1298 Municipal Building Employees 6. Resolution 12-30: Ratification of AFSCME Local 1298 Custodians

• Full agenda document with the details on the contract settlements for each bargaining unit. http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_CouncilAgendas/2012%20docs/050212.pdf 
• School Committee teacher contract discussion with Town Council
• Live reporting from the Council meeting http://www.franklinmatters.org/2011/10/live-reporting-school-committeeteacher.html
• Ed Cafasso letter summary of the issue http://www.franklinmatters.org/2011/10/10-6-franklin-school-update.html
• Joint budget subcommittee meeting on the issue http://www.franklinmatters.org/2011/10/live-reporting-joint-budget.html  and my summary of what the outlook might be http://www.franklinmatters.org/2011/10/what-will-happen-oct-26th-remains.html
• Council meeting of Oct 26 http://www.franklinmatters.org/2011/10/live-reporting-school-budget-discussion.html
• The extra $151,114 arrives http://www.franklinmatters.org/2011/10/ma-confirms-151114-coming-to-franklin.html
• The FinCom session on Weds 4/25/12 provides the insights into the use of the $151,115
• http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/04/live-reporting-fincom.html

"focused on maintaining excellent teachers and principals"

The topic was teacher evaluations, a system that is to be discussed, and very likely changed, in the negotiations for the Franklin Education Association contract. 

"The current evaluation system is out of date. It has been out of date for a long time," said union President Chandler Creedon, who spoke along with union Vice President Donna Grady, as well as Superintendent Maureen Sabolinski and Assistant Superintendent Sally Winslow. "When we finished this past contract, one of my concerns was that we hadn't touched this." 

Creedon said the current evaluations, which rely in large part on an administrator sitting in on a single class, breed distrust. 

"In the past, the goal was always to get through the observation," Creedon said. "You would have to perform. Someone would have to come watch you perform. There was always that feeling that somebody was out to 'get' you."

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/education/x366623315/Franklin-school-leaders-union-agree-on-need-for-new-evaluations#ixzz1bshzTkkf


The presentation document that was used during the School Committee meeting on Tuesday, Oct 25, 2011:

Franklin Public Schools: Performance Based Evaluations

"we approach education collaboratively"

Following a salary freeze two years ago, raises for last year remained at zero, while raises for this year go up 1 percent at the beginning and 0.5 percent on the last day of the contract. 

Negotiations for a new contract will have to begin soon, school officials said, but School Committee members say they are upbeat. Union leadership, they said, seems committed to a less confrontational approach than in the past. 

"There is agreement by both sides to review the salary structure," School Committee Chairman Jeffrey Roy said. 

"It represents closure for me and a move away from the negotiation table," committee member William Glynn said of the brief hiatus between negotiations. "We don't often talk about the deep-seated problems, the systemic problems."

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/archive/x1656493025/Deal-gives-small-raises-to-Franklin-teachers#ixzz1ZEnaMLdk

Franklin fire fighters finally get a contract!

The contract with International Association of Fire Fighters Local 2637 covers fiscal 2008 through fiscal 2011 and gives members a 7.5 percent raise retroactive to July 1, 2010. 

The raise is on par with what other unions received over that time, Nutting said after the meeting, noting the firefighters had not received a salary increase during those four years. 

Ratification of the contract was delayed for about three years by negotiations, he said.
The union agreed to drop grievances with the town about vacation scheduling, training and other issues upon ratification of the contract, according to the contract. 

Nutting's contract covers fiscal 2011 through 2013 and keeps his salary at $131,300. Town Council Chairman Scott Mason said the contract was similar to other town administrators' agreements to oversee communities that are smaller than Franklin.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/archive/x1781764793/Franklin-OKs-7-5-percent-raise-for-firefighters#ixzz1PQnLVwNP

Town Council agenda document - Jun 15

After the public hearing on the zoning changes proposed for the Downtown District, the agenda gets into an interim contract with the fire fighters union. The fire fighters have been working without a contract for several years. The details on an interim agreement are contained here.

The Town Council is also scheduled to ratify the employment contract with Town Administrator Jeff Nutting. The details of the contract are contained here.

Town Council - Agenda - 6/15/2011



Note: email subscribers will need to click through to Franklin Matters to view the document online.

Live reporting - Cafeteria workers contract

2. Guests/Presentations
b. Signing of Cafeteria Contract July 2010 – June 2013

Trahan, a collaborative group no issues and no tension, good working relationship
willing to understand what the situation is

Sabolinski - thank you for all yu do every day to make life better for our students and staff


Franklin, MA

"we try that and we see if that works"

GIST: I think that for far too long we have just tinkered around the edges of our schools that have struggled. Central Falls High School is an example of a school like that. For over eight years, [it] has been on various lists of needing to improve. There are wonderful people in that school, there are excellent teachers in the school. They’ve had strong leadership. They’ve tried different models for reform. But we tend to do one thing, and then we wait and see if that works. And when it doesn’t or maybe it’s incremental, we say, OK, let’s try some new professional development for the teachers. And then we try that and we see if that works, and a few more years go by, and then we say, obviously we need a new principal because that one’s not doing the job. So we bring in new leadership, and we try that. We bring in new materials. We try that.

We just try one thing after another instead of recognizing that it’s not just one thing, it’s actually the combination of all of those things and the way they fit together. When you look at high-performing schools, it isn’t just one thing that they’re doing. It’s a combination of many things, and at the center of all that are high expectations for students. And so part of the work is to change the culture in the school to one where everyone expects that students will achieve and raises the bar for performance.

Read the full article including an interview with Deborah Gist, the RI Commissioner of Education, who has been the subject of much headlines on the Central Falls High School situation. Very interesting reading:
http://www.commonwealthmagazine.org/Voices/Conversation/2010/Spring/Putting-teachers-on-notice.aspx

Live reporting - Secretary contract

B. I recommend adoption of the Secretaries Contract for July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2013 as detailed.
motion to approve - passed 7-0

Rohrbach - secretaries make things happen in the schools, thanks to them for their effort

Glynn - The end result is not a contract I would approve for my own business, so it’s not a contract that I can approve for the town’s business either.

Mullen - increases are not much due to difficult times, negotiations went very smoothly. Scheduled meetings out in advance, thanks for that.

Douglas - a big thank you!
Roy - a wonderful and collegiate atmosphere, it is surprising that it was done so quickly. Very minimal increase at best. Very key players on this team. Want to see great things for this district. Reach out and say thank you to those present and not tonight.


Rohrbach - It is not a large increase, it is minimal. 
Trahan - I too wish to thank you for collegiate atmosphere and cooperation.


Sabolinski - They are the face of the public schools, there are 17 members in the bargaining unit.


Vote on motion to approve - passed 6-1




Franklin, MA

FM #19 - 4 things to know

FM #19 podcast provides the 4 things you should know about Franklin, MA this week.

Time: 8 minutes, 18 seconds



MP3 File

Session Notes:

This podcast for Franklin Matters will focus on the 4 things you should know about what happened this week.

In the prior two sessions, we spent time listening to Assistant Superintendent Maureen Sabolinski as she was interviewed by the School Committee during their meeting Tuesday Oct 14th. In podcast 17 Maureen told her life story. How she started teaching in NY City, moved to the Buffalo NY area, to Rockaway, NJ and then to Franklin. She reviews her resume detailing how she has prepared to cover all aspects of the superintendent’s role in her own development.

In podcast 18, we’ll listened to the School Committee as they asked Maureen follow-up questions and get into a discussion to clarify her goals, objectives, and vision for Franklin’s school. If you have not listened to these yet, I strongly encourage you to go back and do so at some point in time. All the podcasts can be found within the Important links section on the right hand column.

The first thing you should know about from this week’s events was that the school committee did vote unanimously 6-0 (Matt Kelley was absent) to enter into contract negotiations with Maureen. We should hear in a future meeting about the contract terms and transition with Wayne as he is scheduled to step aside on June 30th 2009.

The second thing you should know about this week is that the pilot to sell advertising banners in the field house was proposed and accepted. During the pilot period, the banner content will need to be reviewed by the Superintendent of Schools, High School Principal and the chair of the School Committee. The cost for the banner would be $480 year and available for a minimum period of three months (at a prorated cost).

The third thing you should know about this week is that if you area parent of school age children there is a survey on the Franklin Schools homepage looking for your input on how to create the calendar for the school year; for example, should the school year begin before Labor Day or after? Your input is welcomed until November 24th. The link to the survey will be available on Franklin Matters here. Jeff Roy has also created a posting at the School Committee blog with a link to the survey. Let your voice be heard.

The fourth thing you should know this week, on the contract front, the Police Department settled their contract with the Town. They had been working under an expired contract since June 2007. This one will cover through June 2010.

The new contract, which expires in June 2010, gives officers a 2 percent raise retroactive to October 2007, a 2.5 percent raise as of October 2008 and a 3 percent raise in October 2009, Nutting said.

Sergeants' pay will increase to 17 percent above the top patrol officer salary step in the first year of the contract, to 18 percent in the second year, and to 19 percent above in the third year.

This was reported in the Milford Daily News and Franklin Gazette this week.

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This podcast has been a public service provided to my fellow Franklin citizens and voters by Steve Sherlock

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.blogspot.com/

If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The musical intro and closing is from the Podsafe Music Network
Jon Schmidt - Powerful Exhilarating Piano Music

Police, Fire department contracts close?

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Oct 24, 2008 @ 11:32 PM

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FRANKLIN —

The town is still hammering out a police contract with its police union hoping to nail it down in coming weeks.

The Franklin Police Association's contract expired more than a year ago, on June 30, 2007, according to Stephanie McNeil, human resources director for the town.

She expects the police union to sign a contract next week, she said, noting it is not the town delaying the process.

"The pen is in their hands," she said, refusing to comment further.

John Maloney, president of the police union, said he hopes everything will be resolved by next Friday.

"We had hoped to be done sooner," he said, preferring to keep quiet about what has stalled negotiations.

"A few things came up and helped move things along. It definitely has not gone smoothly, that's for sure," Maloney said.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here

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By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Oct 24, 2008 @ 11:29 PM

---

FRANKLIN —

Firefighters have been working without a contract since it expired more that a year ago, but unlike the police union, which is aiming to sign a contract by the end of next week, firefighters may have a long way to go.

Stephanie McNeil, human resources director for the town, declined to comment about the situation, as negotiations are ongoing but said that the town has been waiting to hear from union representatives.

McNeil and Town Administrator Jeffrey D. Nutting plan to continue contract negotiations with the firefighters' union next week, she said.

Fire Chief Gary McCarraher said he cannot comment on the ongoing talks.

Nutting could not be reached for comment.

Multiple calls to union representatives were not returned this week.

The contract for Franklin Permanent Firefighters Association, Local 2637, which expired on June 30, 2007, gives firefighters retention of their Civil Service rights, and requires all promotions within the department be made as a result of competitive examination and granted by the Division of Civil Service.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here

Q & A 3 - Are we looking at all expenses; Ogden replies (audio

From the Franklin Override Information Forum coordinated by the Joint Parent Communication Councils and held on Wednesday, 5/28/08.

Q - Been here for 4 years, 3 kids in school, came here because of the schools. If we have the override, I can afford to pay it because I have 3 kids. But are we looking at all the other expenses. Are we in line? Are we looking to increase revenues?

A - Ogden, speaking to the cost control measures mentions the teacher contract with a 3-year settlement for 6% in a time when other contracts were coming at 9-11%. They negotiate long term energy contracts. They are looking at other kinds of expenses like that to leverage and reduce costs.

Time: 5 minutes, 46 seconds



MP3 File

Contract Signings (audio)

Miriam Goodman, the new School Business Administrator, signs her contract to start working in Franklin April 29th.

There is also a contract signing for the School Nurses.

The committee breaks for two minutes to process the paperwork.

Time: 5 minutes, 6 seconds



MP3 File

Town Council Meeting agenda for 3/5/08

The agenda for the Town Council Meeting 3/5/08 has been posted to the town web site here. The PDF File with the details, previous minutes, etc. can be found here.

----------------------

Worthy of note in this agenda is the acceptance of Executive Session minutes from 1/23/08 (maybe a mistake as the copy is not actually included, and the copy that is included references the notes as of the meeting 1/9/08), October 27, 2007 and September 5, 2007.

What makes these note worthy?

The contract for the Town Administrator was approved with a 9-0 vote on 9/5/07. During the meeting 10/27/07, the contract still had not been signed so it could not be announced.

Were there other Executive Meeting minutes where this was discussed before the announcement finally became public?

Ah, maybe that is what is in the 1/23/08 minutes that weren't included?