School employees to vote on contract

By Emily Richmond

Friday, Oct. 3, 2003 | 11:05 a.m.

The Clark County School District's food service workers, bus drivers, officer personnel and custodians will vote Oct. 14 on whether to accept a four-year contract.

The union voted 278-114 last month to reject a two-year contract that would have limited the number of vacation days employees could cash out. There is currently no limit.

Of the district's nearly 8,000 support employees, about 1,000 work 11-month schedules and cash out unused vacation days during the remaining month of the year, when they otherwise would not draw pay, union officials said.

The cap on vacation day cash-outs was dropped from the latest version of the contract, Doug McCain, president of the Education Support Employees Association, said.

"That was a big point for us," McCain said Thursday. "We have members who need that money to get through the summer."

The new contract covers four years instead of two, although there are provisions by which the union can request to renegotiate, McCain said.

The contract calls for support employees to receive 2 percent pay increases for this year and next year, as approved by the Legislature during the last session.

Support employees will vote Oct. 14 between 3:30 and 7 p.m. at Cimarron-Memorial High School. If the union ratifies the contract, it will go to the Clark County School Board for approval.