In Danvers, Mass., instructional assistants win a fair contract after a campaign for dignity

https://www.afscme.org/blog/in-danvers-mass-instructional-assistants-win-a-fair-contract-after-a-campaign-for-dignity

By Andi Mullin, AFSCME Council 93, and Raju Chebium, AFSCME International · Friday, June 28, 2024

DANVERS, Mass. – School instructional assistants (IAs) who work for Danvers Public Schools have overwhelmingly ratified a hard-won contract that does more than provide fair wages — it also restores their dignity.

The IAs, who belong to AFSCME Local 1098 (Council 93), ratified the contract on June 13 after a monthslong “Campaign for Dignity” to demand a fair deal from the Danvers School Committee.

Before they began their first-ever contract campaign back in January, the IAs did a wage study of what “aides” — their title prior to this contract — were paid in surrounding communities.

That inquiry revealed that in an already low-paying profession, the annual pay for Danvers IAs was at the very bottom — $19,000 at Step 1 and $26,000 a year at the top step. That meant Danvers aides were getting paid 19% to 22% less per hour than their counterparts in nearby school districts, according to Shannon Chan, the chapter chair who served as the spokesperson for Local 1098’s negotiating team.

FULL story at link above.