School district union, working out-of-contract for nearly six months, asks school board to act

Nearly six months after their labor contract expired, members of the union representing non-instructional employees of the Riverhead school district have gone public with their concerns about the status of negotiations, urging district leaders at last week’s school board meeting to approve a deal to increase their pay and help retain new employees.

Members of the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) — which represents custodians, groundskeepers, clerks, assistants, cafeteria workers, transportation workers, and others — spoke at Tuesday’s school board meeting to demand action on the overdue agreement. Speakers said many in their membership are overworked and underpaid — living paycheck to paycheck. 

The CSEA contract expired on June 30 and a new agreement has been in negotiation for about a year now, union officials said. 

“Right now, we are having trouble recruiting workers as well as retaining them,” Sonya Johnson, the district’s CSEA unit president, said.

“What’s going on in our transportation department is a prime example of that,” Johnson said. “Many drivers are being overworked, filling in over and over again because of the absence of drivers on a daily basis — and they are underpaid. The cost of living has gone up and we all need our salaries increased now — not a year from now,” she said.

“Our proposal can get us there,” Johnson said.

A look at CSEA longevity data illustrates extent of the problem, union officials said. Out of 383 CSEA unit members, 223 were hired in the last five years — and 115 of those new hires in the last two years.

The union’s counter-proposal provides a pathway “for both sides to benefit with retention and recruitment in all of our departments,” Johnson said. 

The next negotiating session with district representatives is scheduled for Tuesday, union officials said. 

A dozen CSEA members followed Johnson to the podium to share their experiences working in the district and emphasizing the importance of their jobs.

Employees working in the transportation department said they are not adequately compensated for the training and skills required to fulfill those roles.

While sanitation and delivery drivers perform essential services by transporting garbage and packages, “it is concerning that school bus drivers responsible for transporting our most precious cargo, the children, are often paid less given the level of responsibility, training and commitment,” said Kelly Turbush, a 25-year employee of the transportation department.

Sheila Cumberbatch said she is unable to pay for her insurance with the $17 an hour she earns as a bus monitor. 

“We’re just like teachers to them as well. And not only that, we’re very supportive of them. We show love to them,” Cumberbatch said. “They get sick and throw up, we got to clean that stuff up, you know? I mean, we’re basically there all the time.”

Transportation workers first spoke publicly about the need for increased pay since May 2023, when they came to a school board meeting to ask for raises to help them deal with the rising cost of living.

Employees and union officials said that the nature of many of the jobs covered under the contract require fractured hours and inconsistent employment because of school breaks. 

“When you look at the rates on paper, you actually see a number that might be decent. But what it really translates to when you look at the cost of living and the hours that they work, it is a lot less,” CSEA Long Island Region Director Liam Russertt said.

Lisa Douglas-Aubé, an administrative assistant in the district for 22 years, said she has had to work a second job for the last 10 years in order to afford to live in the district. “Many of our veteran employees, as well as the newer ones, are in the same predicament,” she said.

No one from district administration or the board responded to the comments after the last CSEA member spoke. After the meeting, school board president James Scudder declined comment on the ongoing negotiations.