[caption id="attachment_2943" align="alignleft" width="228" caption="Winthrop school custodian and chapter leader Jimmy Leary."][/caption]

Congratulations to the Winthrop School Custodians and Winthrop School Cafeteria Employees who recently ratified new collective bargaining agreements . Both contracts were approved by the Winthrop School Committee on December 13. Each group received raises of 1.5% and .5% mid-year for 2012, 2% for 2013, and 2.25% for 2014. The cafeteria group gained language allowing for prorating of longevity payments for employees who leave their jobs before the end of the school year. The custodians expanded bereavement leave, increased the stipend for senior custodians and set limits on assignment of work to non-school buildings. Lynne Novia, Val Leblanc, Debbie Spinazzola, Dottie Mulone, Lorraine Russo, and Maura Adelstein participated in the cafeteria negotiations with chapter president Sue Passaro. For the custodians’ contract, Jimmy Leary and Mark (Wally) Wallace worked with chapter president Dom Passaro. “Thanks to Local 888 for great help with tough negotiations and settling the grievance,” said Dom Passaro.

The Winthrop School Custodians won a major victory on December 13 when they reached an agreement with the School Committee to pay two members for the overtime lost when school grass-cutting duties were assigned to non-bargaining unit workers in May – September 2012. Jimmy Leary and John English will receive $3,000 and $500 respectively, exactly the amount which the union had proposed to the School Committee. The custodians persevered through many delays in the grievance process to reach this goal.