Altamont Support Staff Say Strike Could Begin Tuesday

The president of the Altamont Educational Support Staff Association Friday said a strike could begin on Tuesday if no agreement is reached at its next bargaining session Monday evening.

Association President Charlene Calhoun released the following statement on Friday: "It's very disappointing to us that this has become necessary, but the district has been very unfair to us. It hasn't had a new proposal since it offered us a nickel raise in August. All other employees in the district, incuding the highest paid employees, have already received decent raises. We aren't worth less. We care about the students like other employees. We work hard. We deserve fairness, too."

AESPA represents the district's bus drivers, cooks, secretaries, custodians, teacher aides, and groundskeepers. The potential for strike comes 23 months after negotiations begin. The sides have met for talks approximately 17 times since May of 2014 with little progress to report.

Calhoun said, "We understand the district can't compensate us as much as our counterparts in surrounding districts given the current state of school funding, but they should be able to make an offer that keeps the gap from getting bigger. We deserve a genuine effort from the district to reach an agreement."