The "Saga" continues

[Go Plainedge!]

This is from the Massapequa Post. It quite pathetic if you ask me.

Plainedge School District and secretaries at odds over contract
by Jason Kahn


Since their current contract expired two years ago, the secretaries for the Plainedge School have been negotiating with the district for a new agreement. To date, both sides have been unable to come together on the issues and are in the final stages of mediation.

The secretaries contract expired June 30, 2004 and after numerous negotiation sessions, the two sides are in the final stages of mediation.

The negotiations were conducted in the midst of a legal dispute which began in the summer of 2000, and involved the question of vacation days. At that time, the district settled a contract with the secretaries, members of CSEA, changing their five-day week to a four-day week. As a result, the district reduced their vacation days from 15 to 12, representing the shorter work week.

But the union noted at that time that employees were still working the same number of hours over the four-day week that they had worked in the fiveday week and therefore, entitled to the same number of vacation days. Eventually, the union won the dispute in April 2006.

A CSEA spokeswoman, said however, that while the case was settled, Superintendent of Schools John Richman continues to hold the issue against them, and is using it as leverage during the current negotiations.

"Richman has a bruised ego over a class action grievance filed in 2001, and even though the district was directed by the Appellate Court to pay out the award by their own attorney, he continued to raise the issue at the bargaining table, demanding the secretaries agree to vacate the judgment in exchange for a contract," said Langert. "The bottom line is that this set of negotiations has turned into a petty, personalized battle."

"I've resolved every other contract ahead of time and they seem to be the only ones who we cannot come to an agreement with," said Richmond. "This has nothing to do with the last contract and getting back at them. This has to do with a failure of leadership and a failure of that leader to come to the table and negotiate."

"The thing to understand is that this is a group of women who stood up for their rights. It's irritating and he's [Dr. Richman] being very irrational about it and it should not have gotten this far," said Langert

"We're not asking for any more than the other units have gotten," said Miele, who has been a union representative for 20 years. "We want to have longevity and to be treated with respect. We would just like a new contract."

Richmond countered that by saying that the unit is asking for more than what other employees in the district have gotten, specifically 21 more days vacation time.

Miele said that the unit is looking for at least a 4 percent annual raise and terminal separation pay. This benefit would allow members of the unit to be paid for unused sick days.

School secretaries in Plainedge work 12 months out of the year. A newly hired secretary earns $28,893, while the highest paid earns $39, 309. Eighty percent of their health insurance is paid for by the district, with employees picking up the rest of those costs.

The unit consists of 33 members whose jobs entail assisting substitute teachers and ensuring they have classroom plans, handling the master schedules for each school year, making sure the teachers' plans are available and the list goes on. Generally the secretaries are entrusted by the principal to make sure the school is running smoothly.

Under the Taylor Law, if the two sides cannot reach an agreement through mediation, then the issue goes to fact-finding, a communication process in which each side presents factual information to a Fact Finder who reviews the information and comes up with recommendations to bring both sides together. The recommendations are a non-binding decision but are available to the public when completed.

[justfacts]

Go Plainedge!

In a very short part of his comments Langert has summed up what is at the core of the many difficulties in this, and other "negotiations - including Budgetary" in the Plainedge School District.

"The thing to understand is that this is a group of women who stood up for their rights. It's irritating and he's [Dr. Richman] being very irrational about it and it should not have gotten this far," said Langert

This farce with the Secretary's (un)fair employment practices has made a mark beyond the borders of Plainedge: A Union newspaper published in England recently asked: "Who's the Bloke that doesn't know 40 hours is forty hours?"

And, strangely, Richman himself is quoted as knowing what the problem source is: "This has nothing to do with the last contract and getting back at them. This has to do with a failure of leadership and a failure of that leader to come to the table and negotiate."

The only error in that statement is that the first sentence is the word "nothing" was included - and the last sentence pertains only to Richman himself!



We have many examples of that being the case in many other dealings that Richman has had with the District - the attempt to cover up the e-mailgate issue and contempt he has shown for resolving it to the satisfaction of many residents.

His last comments on that topic try to sweep it under the rug beneath the BOE's feet - claiming they were "satisfied" with the lack of follow up action. What say BOE members - are you satisfied that this tapping into School District computer property was resolved and won't happen again? Remember the community only has Richman's word on this issue - and nothing in writing from the BOE.

And, as a usual tatic by Richman to take pressure off an "incident", he attempts to divide and distract the community from the main issue by blaming the message boards in the District as unreliable sources and claiming operators of the boards are causes of the problem by telling "stories" about it! Now, how can anyone in Plainedge truthfully claim that the e-mail tapping of a District property is a made up story? Anyone except Richman that is! Next, he'll be telling us that it never happened!

Also obvious is the back-handed comments (about the guy in the suit) made by Richman, is a pathetic attempt to divide and stir up the community against the people that will stand up to his phony claims about his self-proclaimed "altruistic and pure" motives. He has used this "divide to conquer" method more than once and is attempting to do it again in other District issues.



The truth is Richman accepts no way but his way in this District. And he will be very irrational in the pursuit of his way - even to the point of blatantly telling untrue information to the BOE (about such issues as the Library Board agreeing to pay the TAN interest when he met with their Board recently)

The non-Richman, absolute truth is, no such Board meeting ever took place and no such agreement was made! What he told the BOE was a falsehood - a fabrication of "facts". He even proclaimed in a recent letter that he will activly pursue a program to tell the District residents about "how unfair the Library is" - a value judgement that only he has made!

This is because the Trutees of the Library won't accept Richman's demands for them to sign a "blank check" for TAN interest charges.

The reason the Trustees won't immmediately say YES to his demand?

In all the recent posturings on this action by Richman he has never once even provided an estimate of how much these costs will be!

Last year the professed charges went from $16,300 to $27,000 - without supporting receipts or invoices being supplied despite numerous and varied polite requests from the Library Trustees - even the reason for the change from the $16,300 estimate was not given!

And to top it off - he delayed making a request to have these charges accepted until well after the Voters had approved the Library Budget! He knows darned well that the Library Trustees are too fiscally responsible to sign blank checks - or to take Budget money from voter approved services to pay other unsubstantiated bills!

As in recent discussions with Richman, the Library Board has said in many ways - "We will continue to consider your propositions with regard to TAN interest costs - but you must provide us with timely requests and realistic estimates for these charges."

And you should allow the Board to check just how necessary these charges are. Your own paperwork proved they were not necessary last year, wasting taxpayer money! Also, you have not given us adequate documentation for the costs of last year and the needs for this year.

Plus, you have not transferred all the Tax money collected for the Library Budget to the Library! Some has been improperly put into the School's General Fund balance and not paid to the Library!

There is a failure of leadership in this District - and the failed leader is quite obvious to the majority of residents! Too bad Richman's ego won't allow him to accept the fact that he has been at the very core of all the failures!

Ed.

[Go Plainedge!]

This is from the Massapequa Post January 1, 2004. Look at what I highlighted. Now, during the summer, the District offices are closed on Friday's. Does that mean all district employee's lose their vacation days too?

Plainedge School District in employee dispute with secretaries
by Christina Troiano


Despite two court decisions against them, Plainedge School District officials said last week that they will continue to fight a contract dispute over vacation time with the Plainedge School secretaries.

Meanwhile, officials for the unit said the district has "cheated" the employees over time and that their continued refusal to abide by the contract is going to cost taxpayers dearly.

The dispute, which began in the summer of 2000, involves the question of vacation days. At that time, the district settled a contract with the secretaries changing their five-day week to a four-day week. As a result the district reduced their vacation days from 15 to 12 to represent the shorter work week.

But Barbara Fisch, president of the Plainedge educational secretaries, said the employees are still working the same number of hours over the four days and are, therefore, entitled to the same number of vacation days they enjoyed under the five-day week.

Not so, said Superintendent of Schools John Richman. "I think it is illogical for the secretaries to think they would be entitled to extra vacation when they have every Friday off from work," he said. "I think we have a legitimate claim and are entitled to the right to pursue all the legal avenues available to us."

Fisch said the contract did not specify that the vacation days would be reduced, and the district is therefore in violation of the contract.

"The district has been charging them every summer so when this is resolved there will be damages that have extended over many years and the compensation will have to be settled," said Louis Stober, an attorney representing the secretaries from the law offices of Louis D. Stober Jr. in Garden City,

"The courts agreed, but Plainedge wants to appeal again, and all this costs money," Fisch said. "I obtained the records through the district through freedom of information and found out that about $31,000 has been used for legal fees, because Dr. Richmond has cheated the secretaries. It is using taxpayers’ money."

The issue has been brought to court and the decision was in favor of the secretaries. The district then took it to the Nassau County Supreme Court where Honorable Judge Joseph Covello was in favor of the secretaries. The district is now preparing to bring the case to the New York State Appellate Division, 2nd department. However, according to Stober the appeals division takes very few of these type of cases.

In the meantime, the district is spending money on legal fees and putting off the inevitable. Stober said that the secretaries have won every step of the way and that the court has held unequivocally that the district was in violation.

"It is a standard breech of contract and they (the district) will be out of appeals soon," Stober said. "There will have to be a readjustment of vacation time or a monetary reimbursement. It will probably be a mixture of both because some employees may not still be employed by the district." great, I can see next years budget line item - court settlement fees to give the secretaries retro money - more wasted money

"We have been fighting this grievance for many years," Eileen Miele, recording secretary for the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Union said. "Unfortunately the district is appealing again and we are going to fight it to the bitter end."

"The issue doesn’t make any sense at all," Richman said. "It’s not reasonable at all."

Deputy Superintendant Jeff Burns agrees and said that the district will do everything it can do legally to protect the taxpayers. including wasting district funds on legal fees with a case that already has a court decision

[justfacts]

Go Plaiinedge!

You missed a point! Richman leaves "early" on Fridays ~ reportedly throughout the year and not just in the Summer "vacation" months.

Does this make him eligible for either pay adjustments or accumulated vacation leave reductions? ;D


Ed.

[Go Plainedge!]

I think the sad part is that this has been going on for so long.

Has any BOE member actually stepped up to say it's time to resolve this?

Has any BOE member, for the past two years, been embarrassed enough to take action?

Has any BOE member attempted to mediate the problem?

Has any BOE member wondered why Dr. Spin hasn't worked out a deal after two years?

Has any BOE member questioned the legal fees being spent on this issue AFTER the courts have ruled in favor of the CSEA?

Does any BOE member (past or present) wish to make a statement as to the status of the situation?

[Say What Again]

I dont see what the hub-bub is all about - people are entitled to vacation as per the hours they put in - plain and simple - it doesnt make a difference if they make thier 40 hours in 5 days or in 2.

Richman is arguing, they already get Friday's off, so they only need 12 days to effectively have 3 weeks vacation a year (incidentally, I make a lot more than the secy's do and I only get 2 weeks - looks like they have a "Good" union), and that giving them 15 days, practically gives them 4 weeks vacation a year (hey, where do I sign up?)

But thats irrelevant, because undoubtedly they all have to coordinate that time off so that each school doesnt wind up with an entire secretarial staff out on vacation at once. If working 40 hours normally entitles a district employee to 15 days vacation, than that should be the deal - doesnt matter if they work four 10-hour days, or five 8-hour days....40 is 40 is 40.

Looks like administration just wants to hold them to just 3 weeks off instead of 4.

[justfacts]

Say What Again

Yep! You are right! 40 is 40 - and that's the way each judge saw it in the three court appearances we, the taxpayers, had to pay for the cost of lawyers to prepared for and attend.

This is in addition to the lost time of Richman and staff as they worked on items other than those needed to do their regular job for the children. At his pay rate that's a lot of added cost!

But that saga had been decided in the courts a long time ago! The cost of those activities have been paid for by us, and the district time lost away from work being done in the interest of the children can never be made up.

The new issue that is alive now seems to be driven by Richman's poor acceptance of the multiplicity of defeats in the courts. Defeats that he now apparently blames the secretaries for, and seems to be seeking revenge about by not doing any valid contracting with those employees.

It is a wonder to me that we haven't lost more in this district because of a "job action" by the secretaries! My hat is off to them for showing such professionalism and restraint.

There is no obvious valid reason for Richman to refuse to meet with the secretaries' representatives and negotiate their contract.

And, it seems to me, that the BOE should direct him to do that part of his job as soon as is practicable - and fire him if he doesn't comply!

Ed.

[Go Plainedge!]

Still waiting for past or present BOE members to update this "saga".

[thewildrover]

Facts,

Heard you were at the watering hole!!!

Be patient please.

WE will soon be able (and more than "at the ready") to join ye!!!