Union vote by school support staff pending
By PAT FRIDGEN Echo Pilot

Support staff in the Greencastle Antrim School District leaped a major hurdle this week in their attempt to unionize. A petition was submitted to the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board Tuesday on their behalf. It asks for an election to determine whether the Pennsylvania State Education Association will represent the local employees.

Marcia Bender, PSEA Regional Field Director and Uniserve representative for Greencastle, said the board would act within a week or two and notify G-ASD administration that the petition was filed.

The union already represents the Greencastle-Antrim Education Association.

The Labor Board and the school district will each verify which school employees are eligible to be members of the potential bargaining unit, said Bender. When the list is complete an election will be scheduled.

"The election would typically be held in Greencastle," she said. "Most of the time it is not on school district property."

She said it could occur in approximately six weeks.

If the support staff members choose to have PSEA as their exclusive representative, they will be declared a bargaining unit. They would become members of the G-ASD Educational Support Professionals, Pennsylvania State Education Association, National Education Association (GASDESP/ PSEA/NEA).

The support staff includes custodians, maintenance and cafeteria workers, bus drivers, aides, secretaries and licensed practical nurses, among other employees.

While the Labor Board requires 30 percent of affected employees to return cards of interest, Bender asked for a 65 percent response from Greencastle. That number was reached from a pool of about 155 support staff employees.

A group of support staff members began meeting last February to investigate the possiblity of forming a union. Several of them met with the Echo Pilot in June, on condition of anonymity, to explain their reasons.

They cited a discrepancy with pay in relation to responsibilities, inconsistent hiring practices, medical insurance premiums higher than those for teachers, no reimbursement for continuing education and a sense of vulnerability since they had no liability insurance or job security.

"It takes time," Bender said.

PSEA out of Harrisburg has worked with the group since then.

If PSEA is selected, the organization will help the local unit get established, including electing officers, setting dues, creating a constitution and bylaws and submitting a bargaining proposal to G-ASD for its first contract.

Bender said she spoke to Acting Superintendent C. Gregory Hoover about both parties jointly approaching the Labor Relations Board, but that Hoover preferred the election take place first.