A group of clerical workers, nurses and administrative support staff challenged the New Hyde Park-Garden City school board at the Sept. 21 meeting for employing them without a contract, saying the district treats them unfairly.
They voiced their concerns to the board about the new health plan premiums that would result in a one-percent pay cut, which they said would cause a significant decrease in their salaries.
The employees argued that with the premium, they would be paying just as much for health care as their counterparts, some who make six-figure salaries.
Addressing the board, Eileen Guletski requested retroactive pay and consideration of the workers’ request for a contract.
“We are civil service workers, we should be treated equally…,” Guletski said. “We may not be the performers, but we are the stagehands that run the show.”
Without a contract, the workers are treated like “second-class employee(s),” school nurse Jennifer Cascio said.
“This has gone on for too long,” she said.
School board President Ernest Gentile reminded Cascio not to mention figures and salaries and that it is never customary for the board to talk numbers or negotiate in public.
There was no comment or further discussion by the board regarding the employee’s requests for negotiations.
