Dear Colleagues,
I am pleased to inform you that, earlier this evening, the RTA Representative Assembly acted on the recommendation of the RTA Executive Council and unanimously endorsed an extension of the current collective bargaining agreement between the Rochester Teachers Association and the Rochester City School District. The RCSD Board of Education just voted to also endorse the newly negotiated contract extension. Attached below is the Contract Extension Agreement and the new salary schedule.
Everything in our current contract remains unchanged except for (1) duration of our contract; (2) an increase in your general salary, consistent with the application of the agreed-upon contractual salary benchmarking; and (3) an additional adjustment in compensation for athletic coaches of interscholastic and modified sports.
Here is a summary of the three modifications contained in the extension of our existing contract:
– Duration. The contract extension is until June 30, 2022.
– General Salary. Beginning July 1, 2021, all members of the RTA Teacher Bargaining Unit receive a 4.3% salary increase. This percentage increase is inclusive of the benchmarked salary increases for the current year and the retroactive benchmarking salary adjustment owed to teachers for the 2020-21 school year – beyond the step increases that teachers already received last year. No more waiting for the retro pay. (Remember how it took the District almost all year to figure it out last time?). If you have questions about your advancement on the new salary schedule, please reach out to John Pavone <pavrta@aol.com> or Martha Keating <maskerade6@aol.com>.
– Compensation for Athletic Coaches. Coaches of interscholastic and modified sports will receive an additional $500 adjustment in their compensation (see Section 48 of the attached Contract Extension Agreement). This is a long-neglected need and represents only a minor step toward making the compensation of athletic coaches in the RCSD a bit more competitive with their counterparts in the surrounding school districts.
After a frustrating two years of trying to negotiate a successor contract, this agreement to extend our contract with the above modifications was finally achieved with the help of a Fact Finder appointed by the NYS Public Employment Relations Board (PERB). It now allows us the opportunity and the needed time to resume negotiations on the many remaining issues and to work with the District on a smooth and safe reopening of schools for the 2021-22 school year.
Thank you for your patience, your unswerving support of your union, and especially for all that you’ve done for your students during these very difficult times. We will continue to keep you informed about the progress of our efforts on your behalf.
Have a good rest of your summer.
Adam Urbanski, RTA President
TENTATIVE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT EXTENSION