Wednesday, October 24, 2012
NEARI President Larry Purtill responds to a letter to the editor from NK Superintendent Phil Auger.
- GOVERNMENT
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Wednesday, October 24, 2012
To the editor, I am writing in response to North Kingstown Superintendent Phil Auger’s letter last week in the Standard Times criticizing the local education support professional union. My first reaction to it was, is he kidding? He is upset about someone allegedly shining a light in a School Committee member’s face and a few road signs that said “Honk if you have been fired by Phil?” Truth is, more than a few people in town could be honking their horns. This is nothing but a smokescreen. Let’s look at the facts. Phil and the North Kingstown School Committee fired the custodians, and then outsourced their jobs to GCA, a company in Tennessee with questionable labor and hiring practices. The custodians were then told they must take jobs with…
Thursday, September 13, 2012
President of the NK support professionals union is asking residents to contact the school department and get its custodians back on the department's payroll.
- OPINION
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Thursday, September 13, 2012
To the editor, I am Nancy Ferencko – president of the North Kingstown Educational Support Professionals, a resident of North Kingstown, a voter, a taxpayer, former PTSO member, former LINKS volunteer and a paraprofessional for 26 years. I want to tell the community that all the clerks, cafeteria workers, paraprofessionals, maintenance workers, mini bus drivers and former custodians have the students and their parents at heart. Yes, we did have an informational rally on Monday, Sept. 10 at the high school from 6:15 to 6:30 a.m. I personally spoke to Superintendent Phil Auger, Assistant Superintendent Michele Humbyrd and Ms. Debbie Gardiner from HR on Friday morning. I assured them that we would be having an informational rally, not a …
Saturday, September 8, 2012
It is unsure if this picket will result in a work stoppage.
- GOVERNMENT
- On RI Future
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Saturday, September 8, 2012
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Tuesday night's school committee ending abruptly, excluding half the agenda and public comment.
More than 300 supporters of the Education Support Professionals union looking to speak out against the North Kingstown School Committee's move to outsource the department's custodial services as well as contract negotiations on Tuesday will have to wait another night. Just more than an hour after the start of the meeting, the committee abruptly moved to adjourn the meeting shortly after 8 p.m. – leaving almost half the agenda unaddressed. Amongst the lingering agenda items was public comment, which the committee moved from the beginning of the agenda to the end in a 3-2 vote. (Members Melvoid Benson and Bill Mudge opposed the vote, as well as the votes to adjourn for the night.) "To adjourn and not let the public speak is irresponsible," …
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
The North Kingstown School Department and Educational Support Professionals are heading to court this afternoon.
While North Kingstown students are getting another day of summer vacation, the school department and Educational Support Professionals union will be heading to court this afternoon to resolve a labor strike in protest of outsourced custodial services and contract negotiations. School officials filed an injuction Tuesday morning, asking a judge to force the 150 ESP employees back to work and reopen schools for the start of the new school year. A hearing has been scheduled for 2 p.m. in Washington Superior Court. The strike comes after both parties failed to reach an agreement regarding the union's contract – which has been under negotiations for the past year and a half. Earlier this summer, the North Kingstown School Committee rejected an …
Monday, August 27, 2012
According to school superintendent, a possible strike by the Educational Support Professionals may halt the start of school.
North Kingstown students may not be heading back to classrooms this Tuesday. School Superintendent Phil Auger is asking parents to consider contingency plans if the North Kingstown Educational Support Professionals go on strike on Tuesday – the scheduled start of the 2012-13 academic year – to protest the outsourcing of the school department's custodians. The school department and the ESP union are still negotiating a contract, which has been ongoing for the past year and a half. Earlier this summer, the North Kingstown School Committee rejected an arbitrator's award and decided to outsource the district's custodial services. Twenty-six custodians were laid off by the decision – though according to School Committee Chair Kimberly Page 20 …
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 …
Sunday, July 22, 2012
SEIU 615 has filed a union grievance against GCA.
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
We R NK
3:44 pm on Saturday, October 27, 2012
$30 an hour, where in God's green earth did that come from......HAHAHAHAHAHAHA Cut the comedy...please..your killin me!!! more ›