The Derby BOE Paraprofessionals, comprised of 64 members, voted unanimously to leave UE/CILU and join UPSEU through a secret ballot election conducted by the Connecticut State Board of Labor Relations on March 5, 2019.
The membership had grown tired of the lackluster representation they received from UE/CILU over recent years. They were fed up with the lack of follow through on important issues that arose within the local, which negatively impacted members of the bargaining unit. As a result, they knew they deserved more, and actively sought better representation, which they found in UPSEU.
Immediately following UPSEU filing a petition with the Labor Board for representation of Derby BOE Paraprofessionals, UE/CILU engaged in an aggressive campaign in a last minute attempt to keep the bargaining unit.
UE/CILU began by visiting and calling members at their personal homes- sometimes late into the evening, in order to slander UPSEU. This was followed up with negative mailings/propaganda about UPSEU. These unprofessional, mudslinging tactics only solidified the member’s decision to leave UE/CILU, as the visibility of the Union was too little, too late. The membership was committed to securing exceptional representation from a professional labor union, voting unanimously to join UPSEU.
Colleen Ezzo, UPSEU Labor Relations Representative, who spearheaded the campaign stated, “I look forward to working with the Derby BOE Paraprofessionals Executive Board as well as the entire membership to provide each of them with the day-to-day representation that they have been lacking for several years. This particular bargaining unit is dear to my heart, as I was formerly a Paraeducator in the Derby Public Schools and I know first-hand the vital role that each of these members play in supporting the students and staff of Derby.”
UPSEU welcomes the Derby BOE Paraprofessionals to our growing family!
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