Teamsters woo school support staff workers

Terry Webster

Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2001 | 9:23 a.m.

Disgruntled support staff workers in the Clark County School District want to dissolve the union that represents them and reorganize under the Teamsters.

The complained of weak leadership in the Education Support Employees Association and a mismanaged health trust that left some members with up to tens of thousands of dollars in debt were cited for the move.

Employees and leaders of Teamsters Local 14 have held several meetings, with attendance reportedly topping 400 during one of the meetings.

The current union "is falling apart," said Ralph Lopez, a maintenance worker and 16-year School District veteran. "The health trust went belly up, and there is no support for workers."

But School District union leaders plan to block the move to organize.

"It will be over my dead body," said Bobby Mancuso, president of the Education Support Employees Association. "We're going to do whatever we can to try to stop them."

The district has more than 7,500 full- and part-time support staff employees, including clerical staff, janitors, bus drivers and maintenance workers. Teamsters Local 14 has about 2,000 members in Las Vegas.

"The only reason they are looking at us is that their membership is low," Mancuso said.

Gary Mauger, chief executive officer of Local 14, said an organizing committee of about 100 people has been meeting with support staff workers over the past three weeks. Another meeting is scheduled this week.

The local is filing a complaint with the Employee Management Relations Board, saying it is being denied the opportunity to solicit employees in parking lots or in break rooms during lunch hours, Mauger said.

"Employees are being told to take their (Teamster) buttons off, and they are not being allowed to put pamphlets in the break rooms," Karla Deneen, a school bus driver for the district, said.

Deneen said she believes changes are needed because the benefits under the new health plan are not as good as they were before.

The School District took over the Education Support Employees Association in September in the wake of reports of millions of dollars in unpaid claims. Sierra Health now handles insurance claims for the support workers.

"Over the weekend, I receive a shot that was $20 under the old health plan," Deneen said. "Now I have to pay $45 for it, and it only costs $50.90. I'm glad they saved me $5."