City and school staff describe ratified food‑service contract with Local 217, citing roughly $6 total pay raises and benefit changes

City and school officials on April 2, 2025, told the New Haven Board of Alders Finance Committee that a ratified collective bargaining agreement between the Board of Education and Local 217 would raise food‑service workers’ pay by roughly $6 total over the life of the contract and change benefit and attendance provisions.

"Overall, it's going to be $6," Darren Young, director of food services for the school district, said during the public hearing, and he described the agreement's stepped wage increases: $2.50 in 2024–25, $1.00 in 2025–26, $1.00 in 2026–27 and $1.50 in 2027–28. Young and other district staff presented the agreement to the committee during the session.

Staff also described changes to health insurance contributions and attendance incentives. Lisa Flecker, director of human resources, said the insurance will be administered by the city and that employees' contribution was negotiated down to 2% (the previous contribution cited at the hearing had been 10%). The committee was told the net effect is a decrease in employee premium contributions paired with a change to a less expensive plan the parties expect will increase take‑home pay.

The agreement adds a perfect‑attendance bonus of $150 per semester (first semester in December, second in June), district staff said. On sick leave, staff said the contract allows the superintendent or designee to require a doctor's certificate after an employee has been absent for 10 days in a school year; the superintendent or designee may also require a meeting if there are "reasonable concerns" about attendance.

Staff described a change to sick‑leave payout practice: up to seven unused sick days will be paid out at the end of the year, rather than being forfeited, which district staff characterized as an incentive to reduce absenteeism.

The contract also addresses a long‑standing payroll/pension issue: staff said that since 2016 some Local 217 members had been placed automatically in Social Security rather than given the pension option; the ratified agreement remedies that administrative error and will move affected members to the corrected program as specified in the contract, staff said.

A union representative who spoke during the hearing said the union believes the contract "will massively improve our members' lives after these five years of unprecedented inflation" and said the parties expect the health‑plan change and wage increases will result in greater take‑home pay for members.

Committee members asked whether the parties were satisfied with the agreement. "Are you happy with this agreement?" one alder asked; a district representative replied, "Absolutely," and the union representative indicated support.

The finance committee did not take a final vote on the ratified agreement at the April 2 meeting because the committee lacked a quorum; committee leaders said they will ask the board president to discharge the contract to the full Board of Alders so the board can vote at the next full meeting. No public testimony objecting to the contract was offered during the hearing.

The committee's chair said he plans to speak in favor of a yes vote when the board considers the contract at the full meeting.