When 12 administrative secretaries in the Putnam school district faced restrictions on using their vacation time, they did something no one expected – they formed a union. Three years after unionizing, they have a new contract, including the ability to use their vacation time on their own terms.
In 2019, the Putnam Board of Education passed a new benefits policy that required vacation time to only be used during school breaks. The only employees impacted by these changes were the 12-month administrative secretaries – who are all women. This policy meant less flexibility and higher expenses for flights and trips since school breaks tend to be the most popular travel periods. For one of the employees, it meant less time off with her partner since he worked in an industry that did not allow summer vacations.
Heidi Clifford has been with the district for 22 years. As the Student Services Secretary at Putnam Middle School, she described the work she and other secretaries do for their schools as “almost like holding the wheel on a ship and keeping it going in the right direction.” For Heidi and her colleagues, who have dedicated decades to their District, these overnight changes completely stripped them of their rights and respect for what they do.
“When your chairman of the Board sits down and tells members that ultimately you should just leave the district because you don’t like what they are doing, we knew we had another option,” said Clifford, now President of the Putnam Secretaries and Administrative Union (AFSCME Local 1303-484).
The Board chair essentially told the secretaries that they could quit their jobs, which was a sign that they needed protection and a voice. Despite fear and doubt from members about organizing, they formed their union a year later, becoming the last group of workers in the Putnam school district to unionize.
“[Members] thought it was completely useless to even try [to organize] because they were so used to having so much taken away from them,” Clifford said. “So, they just never had the strength and numbers behind them to stand up and say, ‘It's not fair. These are people's lives. You can't just keep taking from people.’ And we proved [the administration] wrong that we were not going to let them do that to us.”
Members of AFSCME Local 1303-484 (Putnam Secretaries) wearing black for Blackout For Safe Schools in January 2022 during the COVID pandemic. Second from left is Heidi Clifford, President.
Forming their union, although challenging, was the easier part; getting their first contract proved more difficult. Due to the COVID pandemic and a lack of communication from the Board, negotiations dragged on for 3 years. In November 2022, both parties went to mediation, which still failed to resolve the issue of vacation time utilization. The members were determined to stick together and win this battle. In December, the dynamics across the table changed with a new interim superintendent, Kenneth DiPietro.
“It was amazing because the Superintendent understood you have to negotiate, and you have to give and take,” Clifford said. “He worked hard at bringing down those barriers and put out what both sides felt was fair and what we could live with. Once he realized the key issue was the time off, he really pushed the Board to move and give on that issue.”
Within four months, the contract was settled. Members and the Board agreed vacations could be taken throughout the school year except for the three days before and after the school year. Thanks to the tenacity and courage of members, the impossible became possible.
Earning back freedom of time off was their biggest win, but not their only win.
The four-year contract, which went into effect July 2023, provided their first raises in three years, including a 4% general wage increase with retroactive pay to July 2022 for the first year, and an additional 3%, 4% and 2.5% increase over the remaining years. It also secured the secretaries a 40 hour work week, which the Board had not only reduced to 30 hours while they were unorganized, but also tried to maintain during negotiations.
For the members of Local 1303-484, their union and first contract symbolized more than just raises and flexibility.
“It's a huge victory for us,” Clifford said. “This document is key to holding the line in our positions, to our strength and gaining respect as a membership. And it just shows the administration that we can no longer be walked on, that we deserve what everybody else in the district has always had. I think we've proved that we deserve that respect.”
Cherlyn Pointdexter, Council 4 Staff Representative, negotiated on behalf of the Local and believes their strength was rooted in their solidarity. “Although they are a new union, they understood the importance of consistent cooperation and not giving up on their fight for fairness. Heidi is a fearless leader and encouraged camaraderie among the membership. Their first contract emphasizes the immense power workers have when they join together.”
Clifford and the other members are elated with their new contract. But their work to build a strong union has only just started.
“There's just a culture that we need to work on in our district with our members that they don't have to be afraid anymore,” Clifford said. “They have strength in our unity and being together and knowing their agreements, their rights and what they have on their side. So, we're working on that, it’s coming together. Accomplishing what we did, I think, is the first hurdle.”
