Jersey City Paraprofessionals Union at Impasse

Members seek to oust union leadership

“A rift is growing within the paraprofessional union in the Jersey City School District as contract negotiations continue,” according to Vino News. Members say they have “lost trust in the union leadership.” The union represents teacher’s assistants and other academic support staff. The school district is offering members a raise of between “3.11% and 4.75%. for a new four-year contract.” However, talks have stalled because the union refuses to concede to the district’s demand that the union president be a working paraprofessional. The union wants the right to have a president who does union work full time.

Derlys Guttierez, a negotiator for the district said he expects the impasse to last at least another 6 months as the district hires a mediator to try to overcome the impasse. The district will not agree to the union’s demand that the district pay it’s president to perform union duties and hires another paraprofessional to take over the union leaders responsibilities. “It would be financially and educationally irresponsible for the board to continue paying the president of the paraprofessional union when that money can be used for educational purposes,” the negotiator said. The district has reached a similar impasse with the secretaries union.

This demand has caused anger among the rank and file of the union, as a group of at least 160 union members have formed Jersey City Paraprofessionals United. The group represents 42% of the union’s 380 members. This rank and file caucus aims to force the leadership to accept the deal and oust the union’s current president Keith Olkewicz.

Both sides clashed at the September 28 school board meeting. Erika Bermudez, a working paraprofessional told the board that ““There are paraprofessionals who are willing to sign the contract.” She was followed by several other paraprofessionals who voiced similar viewpoints.

The union president fired back in a speech that focused on his member’s pay, and ignored the concerned about him being paid to perform union work. Our salaries don’t even match teachers’ salaries,” Olkewicz said. In an email to Vino News he doubled down saying, “I was elected by my colleagues to represent their interests and that is why I am working hard in these contract negotiations. I will not let anyone or anything stop me from doing the job I was chosen to do.”

If the JCPU wants to remove President Olkewicz or any other union official, it will first have to get a petition from a majority of the unions members. This will result in a vote of no confidence in which a majority of 50+1 is enough to remove any union officials.

This is a strange situation that we will do our best to monitor, while normally we would support any demands made by a union on employers; in this case it seems reasonable for paraproffesionals to want a union president who works along side them. However, their may be reasons why the union would benefit from a dedicated president who can make the union his number one priority. We commit to investigating this situation further, and will provide you with any updates as they cross our desks!