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The 2015 General Assembly is gaveled in and the most important bill that will pass this year is the state's budget for the 2015-2016 fiscal year that begins July 1. In that budget is a possible pay increase for public school workers, including bus drivers, custodians, teacher assistants, mechanics, and other important jobs that serve and protect our public school children.
In the 2014-2015 fiscal year budget, these important workers received a $500 pay increase, which is pro-rated on the number of hours they work in a week, while state employees received a $1,000 increase with 5-bonus days of leave. Teachers received a 5.5% increase.
Top on this Union's legislative agenda is getting a fair, equitable and meaningful pay increase for our members. To do so, we have launched a program - The Teamsters Budget Warriors - in which we train our members to lobby legislators, target certain appropriation chairs, and make the case of why our members deserve what other state employees are getting in pay increases.
"We are empowering our members to speak about their livelihoods, their work, and their families' economic situations," said Teamsters Local 391 Recording Secretary Rachel Eitzen. "Our lobbyist walks the halls of the General Assembly each day for our members, but we need our members putting equal pressure on legislators back in the district and in the General Assembly."
Eitzen said that legislators need to hear stories of public school workers who are having a tough time financially in order to demonstrate our point that pay is embarassingly low. "So many legislators think that driving a bus or working in our schools is just a part-time job to get out of the house," Eitzen said. "We need them to know that our members are feeding children, putting clothes on the backs of their family, and in many cases, they are the sole providers."
Download the flyer below for more information. You can also call Rachel Eitzen at 336-996-2040 x218 or 336-215-1887 (m). You can email her at rwells@teamsterslocal391.org.
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