The Herald, Sharon, PA Published Friday, Nov. 16, 2001

MERCER COUNTY

Head Start, day-care workers have 1st pact

By Joe Pinchot
Herald Staff Writer

The Mercer County Head Start Education Support Personnel union has its first contract.

Farrell Area School Board approved the deal Monday for the 54 bargaining unit members, a move that followed the ratification of the union and the Head Start Policy Committee.

The union, which is affiliated with the Pennsylvania State Education Association and the National Education Association, includes 40 Mercer County Head Start employees, 10 Early Head Start workers and four Farrell day-care employees, said Teri Lengyel, Farrell preschool director.

The employees fill positions such as teachers, case managers, teacher assistants, custodians and family service workers, said union president Fran Dunkerly, a teacher assistant assigned to the Sharpsville Area School District.

The union members voted a number of years ago to unionize, but the contract took a long time to come together, Ms. Dunkerly said.

"We had to start from scratch," she said. "Every little detail had to be worked out."

Major concerns in wanting to start the union include wage fairness, consistency in employee treatment and accountability, she said.

School district officials said the contract did not offer much change in salary and benefits. District solicitor James Nevant II said the contract formalizes things such as grievance procedure and terms of service.

The union believed that prior to the contract the grievance procedure was weighted on the side of management, she said. Employees also have more say in assignment changes, she said.

Ms. Dunkerly acknowledged there is no change in benefits. "We have great benefits," she said.

The union's chief salary issue was not a pay raise, but the distribution of available money. The federal government funds the programs, and the money has to be divvied up locally to provide services.

The contract runs from July 1, 2001, to June 30, 2005.


You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Joe Pinchot at jpinchot@sharon-herald.com



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