Thursday, August 23, 2012
School Committee Chair Kimberly Page addresses concerns regarding the outsourcing of the schools' custodians.
- OPINION
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Thursday, August 23, 2012
To the editor, The people of North Kingstown recently received a mailer from NEARI- National Education Association Rhode Island. The flyer described a company to which the North Kingstown School Committee recently outsourced the custodial services, GCA. The flyer stated GCA hired rapist and sex offenders to perform janitorial services. This is NOT what is happening in North Kingstown. The School Committee terminated the 26 school custodians on June 25. On July 1, GCA hired back 20 of the 26 custodians who had a clean BCI or a background check. The school district ALSO checked all the employees. Essentially the "new" custodians had two background checks - more than any other employee in the school district who we only check once on …
Thursday, July 12, 2012
RI Future's Bob Plain tackles the custodian issue in NK.
- GOVERNMENT
- On RI Future
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Thursday, July 12, 2012
Monday, July 9, 2012
NEARI and other unions will be protesting the North Kingstown School Committee's decision to outsource its janitorial services.
Union members from North Kingstown and across the state will be on Fairway Drive Tuesday night to protest the school committee's decision to outsource its custodial services. The rally will support the workers fired as a result of the decision. Last month, the North Kingstown School Committee laid off 26 custodians (pending privatization) and rejected an arbitrator's award for the district's support staff – represented by the Education Support Professionals union – to make up a nearly $600,000 gap in fiscal 2012's budget. Instead, the committee made unilateral changes to ESP employees, including the elimination of life insurance, reductions of days off, freezing pay, cutting benefits to employees who work less than 30 hours per work, and …
41.559144
-71.447429
North Kingstown School Department Administrative Offices
100 Fairway Dr, North Kingstown, RI
/articles/unions-to-protest-custodial-outsourcing
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North Kingstown's ESP union has employed an online petition in attempt to reverse a decision to outsource the district's custodial staff.
After pleading their case before the microphone at several public meetings, members of the North Kingstown Educational Support Professionals (ESP) union are using another avenue to speak out against the privatization of the school district's custodial staff. Using an online petition on change.org, the group has amassed 812 signatures to protest the North Kingstown School Committee's 5-1 decision to lay off its entire custodial staff (26 members) pending the privatization of the department to GCA Services Group. The decision, made June 25, rejected an arbitrator's award that, according to Superintendent Phil Auger, fell short of the roughly $600,000 in concessions the school department would need to balance the fiscal 2012 budget days …
Thursday, June 28, 2012
ESP's one-percent pay raise has been dropped to a salary freeze after a second vote from the school committee.
Overturning its decision Monday night to grant school support staff a one-percent pay increase, the North Kingstown School Committee re-voted on the matter Tuesday night – freezing salaries for remaining Educational Support Professionals (ESP) employees. ESP’s contract dominated discussion on both Monday and Tuesday nights as the committee denied an arbitrators contract award. Instead, the committee made unilateral changes to ESP staff (including the elimination of life insurance, increased health insurance cost share, reduction of sick and personal days, etc.) and terminated the school department’s custodial staff in anticipation of outsourcing in an emotion-filled meeting. After returning from a mid-meeting executive session, John …
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Tensions between ESP staff, teachers and even between school committee members mounted during Monday night's meeting.
Significant changes to the school department’s support staff brought significant outcry at the North Kingstown School Committee’s meeting Monday night. In an emotion-filled meeting, the committee voted to outsource its custodial department (laying off 26 employees) and denied an arbitrator’s award for the support staff, instead making unilateral changes to group. Sixteen speakers took to the microphone during citizens’ comments: most speakers were custodians and ESP (Educational Support Professionals) staff. Among the speakers, the message was unanimous: support ESP and don’t outsource. “I have been hit, kicked, punched, shoved, bit, spat on, threatened with physical violence and verbally demeaned by some of the district’s most difficult …
Tired of NK antics
3:10 pm on Tuesday, August 28, 2012
@ Daniel Lee, oh ok. I understand. If I was married to a custodian I would completely understand but since I am not, I don't. By your "logic", if I were married to an auto technician, I could diagnose the "check engine light" on my dashboard. If I were married to oh, I dunno....an NFL coach, I would, know the intricacies of the 3-4 defense and if I were married to a doctor, I would understand how… more ›