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Employees urge board to reach new contract; some progress reported
By Katie Byard
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Thursday, Nov 20, 2008
About 200 employees and supporters showed up at Wednesday's meeting of the Summit County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities to call attention to the lack of a new labor contract.
Pacts for employees in three unions representing more than 400 MRDD workers, including therapists, custodians and office support staff expired Dec. 31.
While Wednesday's meeting grew tense at times, union leaders and MRDD officials said progress is being made.
The two sides sat down with a federal mediator earlier this week. They meet again today.
Board President Linda Bordenkircher told the crowd that board members ''believe we have agreement on most issues, except one in particular that we are committed to trying to resolve during our sessions.''
Bordenkircher said she would not discuss specifics while negotiations are ongoing.
MRDD Superintendent Thomas Armstrong said he is ''fully expecting'' an agreement ''if not this week, soon.''
Neeta Kishore, president of one of the unions, Weaver Education Association II, was the only union member to address board members.
Kishore said while negotiations ''have been going good,'' key issues, one involving pay raises, remain unresolved.
''We are very dedicated to our clients,'' Kishore said. ''We do not want to disrupt any services.''
Many in the packed conference room stood and applauded after Kishore spoke.
The other unions are the Weaver Workshop and Support Association and Weaver Education Association I.
Jayann Brooks, whose 35-year-old daughter is an MRDD client, asked MRDD Superintendent Tom Armstrong when his employee contract was settled. Armstrong replied that he received a contract last year.
Contracts for employees ''should have been done before now too,'' Brooks said. She criticized the board for spending money on a new parking lot off Howe Road while the contract remained unsettled.
The parking-lot comment prompted an emotional response from Bordenkircher. ''This board has not forgotten who we're working for,'' she said. She noted that her own daughter was an MRDD client and that other board members have children or grandchildren who are clients.
She and Armstrong said the new parking lot was designed to make it safer for parents to drop off young children at an MRDD program on Howe.
Hyla Cushner, a joint union spokeswoman, said last week that the unions authorized the bargaining team in late October to issue a 10-day strike notice ''when they deem it necessary.''
The agency serves about 3,600 people.
Katie Byard can be reached at 330-996-3781 or kbyard@thebeaconjournal.com.
About 200 employees and supporters showed up at Wednesday's meeting of the Summit County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities to call attention to the lack of a new labor contract.
Get the full article here.
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