SRP Contract is Ratified

With a majority school related personnel (SRP) casting ballots, the United School Employees of Pasco received a stamp of approval on the most recently negotiated contracts with the District School Board of Pasco County.

On Thursday, February 14th, the ratification ballot counting was done at the United School Employees of Pasco offices. Of those SRP voting, 98% of school related personnel voted in favor of the tentative agreements.

The contract settlement was reached on January 17, 2019, and employees had several weeks from the date the tentative agreement was signed to review the settlement summary and salary increases and language. The results show approval with the most recent salary and working condition improvements.

At the USEP Building Representative Council meeting held Tuesday, January 22, 2019, Building Representatives voted overwhelmingly to recommend the tentative agreement to Pasco’s SRP bargaining unit. The Pasco County School Board voted and approved the tentative agreement at their February 5, 2019 meeting.

The School Related Personnel settlement provides a 2.0% salary improvement for all employees and added funding to increase a number of other job categories beyond that amount. The overall total increase to the unit was 2.68% while many districts around the state have not yet settled their contracts. The agreement also continues to provide a fully-paid employee health insurance package that includes major medical insurance, prescription drug coverage, a mental wellness program, and life insurance. All salary improvements will be paid to employees retroactively to July 1, 2018. The initial raise will be in the paychecks of February 22nd while the retroactive dollars will be paid to employees just after Spring Break.

“We want to thank the dedication of the Union and District bargaining teams for reaching this agreement in a year that saw many districts utilize funding to address school safety and hardening after the terrible events at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School” said USEP President Don Peace.