After a long and ardous battle, the UPSEU's Park's Supervisors have finally come to an agreement with the County of Bergen. Seeking to improve their negotiating clout, they approached UPSEU. At that time, the County was offering no increase for two years and was expecting givebacks. The group was also seeking to recover language that had been pried from them in the previous negotiation. That language directly affected their overtime payment.
The new administration had already settled contracts with two groups that included a 0% increase for the years 2011 and 2012. They were attempting to impose those same terms on the newly affiliated UPSEU group. Under the guidance of Labor Relations Representative Mark McCart, the group stood strong and eventually forced the County to mediation. In mediation they were successful in recouping the lost language and limiting the wage freeeze to one year. "The committee of Dominick Spitaleri, William Schaper and William Kingsley, together with the members were the real key to success here. They communicated their needs clearly and were patient enough to wait out the administration. Mediation is a triesome process and the membership was getting restless," stated McCart.
Retroactive raises were included in the agreement.
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