Pasco School Employees Ratify New Contracts!
After counting teacher votes, 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.
Eligible employees cast ballots this past Wednesday and the votes were counted today. The USEP Officers, staff, and volunteers just completed the counting at the the United School Employees of Pasco office. 93% of the teachers voted in favor of the tentative agreement.
Teachers had four weeks from the date the tentative contract agreement was signed to review the settlement summaries and actual language. The information was sent to the worksites and published on the USEP website. The results show overall satisfaction with the most recent salary and working condition improvements.
At the USEP Building Representative Council meeting held Tuesday, April 23rd, Building Representatives voted unanimously to recommend the tentative agreement to Pasco’s teachers. The Pasco County School Board voted to accept the tentative agreements contingent upon employee ratification at its May 7th meeting earlier this week.
The settlement includes the state-required cost-of-living adjustment and performance pay and continues to provide a fully-paid employee health insurance package that includes major medical insurance, prescription drug coverage, a mental wellness program, life insurance, and other fringe benefits. The entire settlement package for Pasco’s teachers totaled 2.71%.
“After the long hours spent this past year negotiating the instructional contract, it was very gratifying to see the high percentage of approval,†USEP President Don Peace said.
“This agreement brings to a focal point teacher evaluations and shows the need to prioritize employee salaries #1 in the budgetary process. We hope this effort will help the District recruit and retain highly qualified people to give our students the best opportunity for success†Peace continued.
