By David Yastremski
With a new negotiations team, the Dover Support Staff Association (DSSA) recently reached a three-year agreement with the Dover Board of Education that achieved some significant goals. These included bringing two new job classifications into the association and establishing seniority for bus drivers and aides while making significant improvements to salary guides across all divisions.
Representing secretaries, custodians, maintenance and grounds personnel, bus drivers, computer repair technicians, and newly added bus aides and community liaisons, the DSSA successfully reached a deal despite several team members being new to the union and all but two being new to the bargaining experience.
With a team composed of many new to the negotiations process, and several who are relatively new to the district, DSSA prioritized training to ensure that all team members approached the table well-informed and prepared for the process. Because of a departing superintendent, the team worked hard to reach a deal before a new superintendent arrived. DSSA President Katherine Aragon stated the process needed to be quick, but the team stepped up, participated in training and put in the time to get the job done.
“We held several meetings where I asked for volunteers, but not many members were volunteering,” Aragon says. “We just kept asking and people started volunteering.”
Mariluz Colon, a Dover employee for 23 years, who was a new team member, stated that the members were never asked before.
“I decided I needed to step up,” Colon says.
Aragon and Colon, both officers of the association worked hard to recruit a diverse group of team members: Rosita Robles represented school community liaisons; Michael Morales, the only member with prior negotiation experience, represented the custodians; Nestor I. Barradas represented grounds and maintenance staff; Olga Cifuentes represented bus aides; Sarita Madrid represented bus drivers; and Sarah Klein and Barbara Dominguez represented secretaries. They all worked closely with Region 17 NJEA UniServ field rep Antionette Blaustein.
Of the nine members of the negotiations team, all but one were brand new to the experience, and over half of the team had less than four years with the district.
“Having their perspectives at the table was very important to make sure everyone’s concerns were addressed,” Aragon says. “When Antoinette had a request, everybody went to work to get information.” she says. Each team member connected with their groups to provide the necessary information and gather feedback for the team.
Olga Cifuentes, a school bus aide with four years of experience, commented that those conversations were sometimes difficult because many of her colleagues were new members who didn’t understand the amount of time it takes to negotiate and how the team needed to make difficult decisions.
“They asked for things that may not have been negotiated, and they didn’t agree with that,” Cifuentes said.
“Although everyone came back from their individual group meetings with different questions or concerns, we always came together at every meeting, to figure out the next step or the next question to ask. Sometimes, those conversations were difficult to have,” Aragon recalls.
Sarita Madrid, a second-year bus driver, also participated as a first-year team member. During the last round of negotiations, there was no bus driver on the negotiations team. As the youngest member of the team, Aragon commended Madrid for stepping into a challenging role, as she was tasked with gathering input and providing feedback to drivers who worked in the district for many years.
“She would have to go back to the drivers, many of whom have worked in the district for years, to ask questions, get feedback and listen to their concerns,” Aragon says.
For the first time, two additional roles—bus aides and school community liaisons—were represented as part of the bargaining unit. Rosita Robles, who has served the school in multiple roles over the past eight years, offered an additional benefit to being at the table.
“I believe the board of education has a better understanding of our roles,” Robles says.
Aragon notes that board of education members don’t frequently understand the roles of educational support professionals in the district. She says that several of the team members were invited to share their individual perspectives and stories directly with the board. This opportunity allowed DSSA members to address board members’ questions at the table so they could fully understand their challenges and thus help support staff better serve their schools and students.
Blaustein echoed how the entire team stepped up to the task.
“This team was exceptional because despite having little prior experience in negotiations, they stepped up to the challenge with remarkable professionalism, dedication and adaptability,” Blaustein says. “They navigated complex discussions with confidence and maintained a focus on achieving the best possible outcome.”
Reflecting on the experience, the negotiations team shared a newfound confidence regarding the union’s role in their lives. They shared that some members don’t understand what the union does for them. As a team, they acknowledged they now know what to consider for the next time.
Michael Morales, a school custodian with 15 years of experience, highlighted that the conversations started during this process are far from over, and the important conversations continue even though they settled their contract.
“We continue to talk, planning for the next time,” he says.
Aragon stresses that the contract is the “everything, everyday” of our jobs, stressing that learning about how the memorandum of agreement is developed and the specific language that is needed requires a lot of time, meetings and conversation with members.
“This team’s performance is a testament to their hard work and commitment,” Blaustein says. “They have set a strong example of what can be accomplished when we work together and rise to the occasion.”
David Yastremski teaches English and Communication at Ridge High School in Bernards Township. He serves on the negotiations team for the Bernards Township Education Association and treasurer for the Somerset County Education Association. Yastremski is a part-time NJEA Communications Consultant. He can be reached at dyastremski@njea.org.
Settlement highlights
Representing secretaries, custodians, maintenance and grounds personnel, bus drivers, computer repair technicians, and newly added aides and community liaisons, the DSSA successfully reached a deal despite several team members being new to the union and all but two being new to the bargaining experience.
Some highlights of the new three-year contract include:
- 3.0% increase on the guide each year.
- $13,000 for guide improvement for each year.
- Additional bereavement and family illness days.
- New salary schedules for the community liaisons and bus aides.
- A defined workday and year for the bus aides and community liaisons.
- Bus aides and drivers will receive two polo shirts, a reflective vest and a quarter zip jacket per year and a jacket every other year.
- Overtime seniority language for bus drivers and aides.
- Defined language for uniforms for custodial/maintenance staff with an increase for boot reimbursement.