Tentative Contract For School Support Union

School bus drivers, cafeteria workers and other school support staff workers are slated to receive a small pay raise under a tentative contract agreement.

The School Board of Highlands County and the school support personnel union reached the tentative agreement Tuesday with an average salary increase of 2 percent.

The agreement includes a total salary and benefits package increase of 5.46 percent.

Contract talks resumed and concluded Tuesday after talks were suspended during the summer. After one day of negotiations on June 16 both sides agreed to postpone talks until more was known about the district's funding and budget.

"I think it's fair," chief union negotiator Michel Bernier said Thursday. "It was a fair settlement for them district. It's much lower than we ordinarily would be looking at. We understand they don't have any money."

The district would probably point out that Manatee County school workers got a pay cut, he said, but that was an aberration, not what most districts have been doing.

Most districts are paying the step increase, which is about 2 percent, Bernier said.

Steps on the salary schedule represent one or more years of service. Salary levels increase as one moves up the steps.

In Highlands County, everybody will receive a 2 percent increase no matter where they are on the salary schedule, Bernier said.

Workers will vote on approval of the contract on Nov. 2. If approved, the contract would be effective retroactively to July 1, 2008.