Council 4 Fights Privatization of Putnam School Custodians

With a formal labor board hearing coming soon, the union representing Putnam school paraprofessionals, custodians and food service workers is calling on the Board of Education to rescind an agreement to outsource custodial employees.

In June, the Board of Education voted to enter into an agreement with ABM Industries, a national company based out of New York City, that Council 4 of the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME) alleges is unlawful.

In response to the ABM agreement, Council 4 filed a municipal prohibited practice complaint on behalf of member Local 1303-087 against the Putnam Board of Education. The State Board of Labor Relations has conducted an informal hearing into the matter, and is set to hold a formal hearing October 28.

  • Click here to read Council 4's municipal Prohibited Practice complaint.

“We believe the Board of Education acted illegally in executing this contract,” said Council 4 Staff Representative Tricia Santos, the advocate for Local 1303-087, a 70-member bargaining unit that includes 11 custodians directly impacted by the outsourcing deal. “We look forward to a fair hearing from the State Board of Labor Relations. As the facts come out, we can only hope the Superintendent and Board members will do the right thing and cancel an agreement that was rushed through absent any consultation with our union.”

Union member Dan McGinley, a custodian at Putnam Elementary School, says the outsourcing agreement with ABM (a company that has a D- rating from the Better Business Bureau) has damaged morale and created an atmosphere of uncertainty in light of the company’s initial efforts to alter health care and retirement benefits that Council 4 negotiated for the entire bargaining unit.

“We are working with great dedication and determination to keep Putnam students and staff as safe as we can during the pandemic,” McGinley. “It’s hurtful to think our employer would do this to us, but we’re hoping for a positive outcome through the legal process. I for one am grateful we have a good union standing up for us.”

Council 4 Executive Director Jody Barr called on the superintendent and Board of Education to end the ABM contract and restore school custodians as school district employees. “The facts are on our side. I hope district leadership will do the right thing by the employees we represent, the school community and local taxpayers. It’s unwise to privatize.”