Colleagues,
Over the last few contract negotiations, we have been pushing the district to giving more rights and protections to per diem staff. Our per diems are typically Newark community members, and in many cases, they work close to the same schedule as full time staff. But despite this, the district, especially while under state control, seemed reluctant to acknowledge the importance of these staff by providing them with higher salaries, benefits, or more protection.
In our last contract, we finally got NPS to agree to pay our per diem aides $15 an hour!
When something can’t be done contractually, it is vital to get laws changed at the state level. That is why the Newark Teachers Union fought so hard to get the New Jersey Earned Sick Leave Law passed. We are only the 10th state to pass this type of legislation.
Starting in October, all employees will begin to accrue sick leave. You will earn “one hour of sick leave for every 30 hours worked up to a maximum of 40 hours in one year.” These sick days can be used for personal illness, family illness, having to take care of a child because of their school being closed, and the need to go to a conference at a child’s school.
You can find more information here:
https://www.nj.com/politics/
We believe this is the start of dramatic changes to ensure that per diem staff are treated fairly, and we will be looking to build off of this legislation to get more protections and rights for our per diems in our next contract negotiation.
In Solidarity,
John M. Abeigon
President,
Newark Teachers Union