PEABODY — The lone union to meet with the School Committee's negotiations team on concessions has decided against giving up any benefits or raises, said the committee's finance chairman, David McGeney.
The School Committee approved the contract for the union representing custodians — the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees — Tuesday night. The package reflects the same pay increases and benefit changes as other school unions, that is, a 12 percent pay increase over four years and shouldering a higher proportion of the employees health care benefits.
Russell Gallant, president of AFSCME Local 364, said yesterday that the union for custodians, clerical workers and bus drivers overwhelmingly approved the contract.
Then, they were given three additional choices as concessions. First, they could take the raises with two positions cut, the choice a majority approved.
The second option was to keep the jobs and defer 1.5 percent of their raises and take a one-day furlough, but be guaranteed no further layoffs in the fiscal year. The third choice was to keep the jobs and defer 2 percent of their raises with a guarantee of no layoffs during the year.
Gallant said the approximately 150 union members had to decide what worked best financially as individuals. No one wants to see anyone lose a job, he said.
"It's a tough decision," he said. "Most of our people are living paycheck to paycheck."
Gallant noted that one job had already been restored.
McGeney said AFSCME was receptive to concession talks and both sides had lengthy dialogue on it.
"In the end, we were unable to come to an agreement," he said.
In the meantime, the School Committee voted Tuesday night to send a letter to its other six unions for concessions. The vote came at the urging of committee member Brandi Carpenter.
"I am certain they are aware of it," McGeney told Carpenter during the meeting.
It's been five weeks since the committee voted to ask the unions to meet on concessions and yet no others had done so.
Bruce Nelson, president of the teachers union, said yesterday that he had heard the committee wanted to meet but had not received any correspondence or phone calls directly from the School Committee.
"I think I have said in the past the federation is always amenable to have a conversation with the School Committee on any subject," Nelson said. "We want to keep lines of communication open and hopefully work cooperatively for the good of the district."
Nelson would not comment on whether he had received letters from the city of Peabody.
McGeney said it was his understanding that the committee's attorney was trying to reach the union's representative.
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