Janitor fight not over yet

Jan. 26, 2007

SHARON G. McBRIDE

Frontiersman

MAT-SU - Despite a recent Palmer Superior Court ruling in favor of the school district, the fight over contracted school custodial services likely will continue to the state's highest court.

When the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District decided to outsource its custodial operations last March to save money, it stirred up a lot of controversy within the school district and its current custodial employees.

However, effective July 1, NANA Management Services was awarded the contract. Now, more than six months later, there are still a few rumblings of displeasure throughout the community.

According to Darin Hargraves, the area general manager for NANA Management Services, most of the grumbling comes from disgruntled former custodial school district employees who did not make it through the employment screening process with NANA.

When NANA took over the contract, he explained, every effort was made to take on custodians who already worked for the school district.

&#8220But we conduct a comprehensive background check on all our prospective employees, more so than the school district does for its teachers, and a pre-employment drug screen,” Hargraves said.

According to Hargraves, some did not make it through that process, and were not offered a job with NANA.

There have been a few issues with the new custodial service, but so far, it has not been a big problem, according to the school district.

&#8220Nothing is perfect when a new contract starts,” said Traci Crotteau, public information officer for the Mat-Su School District. &#8220When there are complaints on school cleanliness, NANA has been very helpful when it comes to ironing it out.”

For example, she said, a lot of teachers like their blackboards to be erased, some do not. So to help NANA custodians figure out who wanted want, a system of green and red circles was created. Green means &#8220go ahead and erase” while red means &#8220don't.”

It's small things like that, Crotteau said, that keep the communication flowing between NANA, teachers and administrators in the school district to keep the schools clean.

Wasilla High School Assistant Principal Mark Okeson said that, so far, NANA has done a good job.

&#8220It's always a constant battle to keep things clean,” Okeson said.

Wasilla High School has a student population of about 1,300, and that's a lot of kids in a defined space, he said.

&#8220Parents and teachers usually let us know right away if something gets too unsightly. And we radio NANA and they take care of it right away,” Okeson said.

Despite the grumbling, Superior Court Judge Beverly W. Cutler ruled for a second time on Jan. 19 in favor of the school district's decision to outsource its custodial operations, according to a district press release.

Cutler's first ruling was Oct. 24. In November, the Classified Employees Association, the union that represented custodians before this year, filed a motion for reconsideration of October's ruling.

In its original grievance against the district, CEA officials said the decision to privatize custodians was within the arbitration clause of the collective bargaining agreement between the district and CEA. Because of this, the union asked the court to order the district to resolve the dispute through arbitration.

Cutler, in her second ruling, wrote, &#8220The court observes that CEA provides nine bases for reconsideration, all of which the court believes are sufficiently addressed by the original memorandum of decision.”

Not everyone agreed - including Ron Rucker, CEA president.

&#8220It's not over,” Rucker said. &#8220We are still pursuing it and will take it to the Supreme Court.”

The question, he explained Thursday, is not whether the school district has the right to outsource, but whether the district violated its contract with CEA when it decided to outsource without arbitration.

&#8220We feel that the decision to privatize custodians was within the arbitration clause of the collective bargaining agreement,” Rucker said.

He said the union has 30 days from the date of Cutler's decision to file an appeal.

&#8220Now we can say we have exhausted our options at the lowest levels, and believe me, we will go there (to the Supreme Court),” Rucker said.

Contact Sharon G. McBride at 352-2552 or at sharon.mcbride

@frontiersman.com.