Union Supports Family Values for Hamden School Crossing Guard

The birth of a baby is a blessed event, but it can be stressful, too.

Melissa Prosco of AFSCME Local 2863 (Hamden Town Employees and School Crossing Guards) experienced both ends of the spectrum when she and her husband Matthew recently welcomed their second son Aaron into the world.

Thanks to her union, Melissa and her family are in full blessing mode.

Prosco, a school crossing guard, experienced complications with her pregnancy that necessitated Caesarian section surgery and a nearly week-long hospital stay.

It also necessitated a need to access the town’s paid sick leave bank, which is part of the collective bargaining agreement. Prosco and her union leadership were shocked when town officials rejected her request for pro-rated use of the sick leave bank, arguing that surgery associated with childbirth was not a qualifying event.

“To deny paid sick leave because a woman was having a child, and needed surgery, was unfair and unequal,” Local 2863 President Kim Craft, said. “Melissa clearly had to care for herself.”

School crossing guards work part time and are unemployed during the summer. Without paid sick time, Prosco and her family were facing financial and emotional strain.

“That’s when I turned to Kim and my mom (Terri Lettiero, a veteran town employee and Local 2863 Executive Board member) for help,” Prosco said.

Craft, who works as Hamden’s Elderly Outreach Counselor, and Lorin Dafoe, who is a Council 4 Staff Representative-Attorney, spoke with Mayor Curt Leng’s office to advocate for Melissa.

The union was fully prepared to file a grievance, but after lengthy discussion, the town granted Prosco 12 days of paid sick time (in accordance with a provision in the collective bargaining agreement).

The outcome enabled Prosco to spend quality time with newborn Aaron and 4-year-old Ryan.

“The situation was stressful at first, but I’m so pleased with the outcome,” she said. “Having a union allowed me to take time off and be with both of my kids for the summer. It was amazing.”

According to Craft, the positive resolution of Melissa's case points to the importance of union membership, especially for women and low-paid workers. “Being in a union is not just about your pay or your benefits," she observed. "It's about having a voice to advocate for you when an employer behaves arbitrarily or unfairly.”