Community College Faculty Agree To Contract (With Concessions)

About 120 full-time workers at Nashua Community College are part of the new State Employees Association bargaining unit

After 10 months of negotiations, the union representing New Hampshire’s community college faculty has agreed to a contract.  Cameron Kittle of the Nashua Telegraph reports this is the “second collective bargaining agreement” for the year-old union:

“Once the contract goes into effect May 4, union officials said they will still earn less than their New England counterparts. The union, an affiliate of the State Employees’ Association, is fairly new and formed after a majority vote last February…

The one-year contract expires June 30, 2013. It covers about 850 full-time employees.

Every labor grade in the salary matrix received a $1,000 increase, while co-pay costs doubled for doctor’s visits and prescriptions and biweekly contributions also increased and will rise again slightly in January 2013.”

While the union agreed to the contract, the group’s enthusiasm has a luke-warm character.  Kittle quotes Great Bay Community College Library Director (and bargaining team member) Becky Clerkin:

“While it would have been nice if we could have brought our compensation up to the same level as the other New England community colleges and had no increase to the health insurance, that is not realistic in these economic times.”