Contract to reopen

MCGEO, the union representing many of the County employees, has reached a settlement in its contract negotiations.  The terms of that settlement include a $2000 lump sum payment for each full time employee, which averages out to about 3%, plus a 3% increase for those who have been with the County for at least 21 years (full details can be found on the MCGEO website).  These terms are sufficient to trigger a reopener in our own contract negotiations, based on Article 8.2 in our Agreement.  While the reopener is not officially triggered until this agreement is ratified and funded by the County Council, we are already in the process of scheduling a new round of negotiations with the Administration.  We are also keeping an eye on the progress of the negotiations by MCPS.  An article in yesterday’s Gazette indicates the details are still be worked out, but a raise is likely.  A quote from that article which I find particularly heartening: “The time has come for all county employees, including school workers, to regain some of the salary that they have given up in recent years, said Councilman Craig L. Rice, a member of the County Council’s Education Committee. ”