5 Responses to “3.4 HOURLY Wage Rates”

1. Administrator says:

   August 12, 2010 at 3:44 pm

   Board approves employee contract.
   District officials said the new contract is expected to increase the district’s wage cost for Local 243 members by about 2 percent per year.
   Board President Adamex said the new contract allows the board to keep a promise it made to the community in 2004 and again in 2009 to keep a lid on employee costs.
   Source: Community Press August 11, 2010

   The reporter apparently didn’t ask and Adamec didn’t mention that the step raise was not frozen. Nor, that the employees are already paid around 30% higher than the market rate. There was no consideration of the current economic and financial conditions including 17% national unemployment.
2. Administrator says:

   June 11, 2010 at 8:00 pm

   No merit or cost-of-living salary increases

   Will Sycamore follow the lead?

   The STRS (State Teachers Retirement System) Board announced the adoption of FISCAL YEAR 2010 BUDGETS.

   “The Retirement Board adopted the proposed budgets for fiscal year 2011 (July 1, 2010-June 30, 2011). The operating budget totals $89,773,600, which represents a 2.1% increase over this year’s operating budget. No merit or cost-of-living salary increases for STRS Ohio associates are included in the budget.”

   Mum is the word as Sycamore school district elected board members remains silent about the hourly employee negotiation, hiding behind a law the greedy union of teachers lobbied Ohio legislators long and hard to enact. Sycamore pays a ‘twelve year’ custodian $19.50 per hour, 65% higher than the median market rate of $11.76.

   Call elected board members Adamec, Cole, Richter, Stauback and Mercurio at 686-1770 now! Tell them to stop paying the decade long practice of above market rates. More specifically, tell them to allow no hourly base raise or step raise for two years because of negative inflation last year and no cost-of-living adjustment in 2010. And, freeze total pay (base and step) of first tier hourly employees until such time that his/her pay equals the market rate scale.

   Folks, this is coming out of your wallet.
3. Administrator says:

   April 24, 2010 at 12:01 am

   Lakota schools call in mediator
   Similar to the 2008 talks, negotiations have reached an impasse prompting a federal mediator to get involved. school officials announced. The negotiations, which began in March, are stalled on issues of pay and benefits.
   Officials from the (1,190 member) teacher’s union did not respond Monday to messages. The teacher’s contract expires June 30.
   Lakota officials also announced they had reached a tentative agreement with the union that represents its 538-employee support staff for a one-year contract with no increase in base salary. Members of the Lakota Support Staff Union would, however, receive already scheduled, individual step raises that district officials said would result in less than a 0.002 percent increase in the operating budget. [Adm. asks Lakota officials, what is the average step raise percentage? Don't mislead the taxpayers]
   Source: Lakota schools call in mediator, Cinti. Enquirer, p B3, By Michael D. Clark 4/20/10
4. Administrator says:

   February 21, 2010 at 5:19 pm

   The two tier pay schedule began in 1998.
5. Administrator says:

   February 18, 2010 at 9:19 pm

   Over Forty Percent of Sycamore Hourly Employees are Paid More Than Market Rate for the Same Job. (Over 50% are paid the market rate)

   Some Custodians are paid 30% more,
   Educational Assistants are paid 24% more,
   Secretaries are paid 20% more, and
   Bus Drivers are paid 17% more …

   Source: Calculated from Sycamore Community School OAPSE listing February, 2010.