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HomeNewsArchivesPAPERWORK DELAYS TEACHERS' WAGE INCREASES

PAPERWORK DELAYS TEACHERS' WAGE INCREASES

Oct. 18, 2002 – Some unionized teachers scheduled to receive wage increases as part of a 2002 labor agreement are still waiting. The governor's chief negotiator says it's a paperwork problem.
The 3 percent wage hikes were part of the deal worked out between the American Federation of Teachers and the Turnbull Administration during the 2000 teacher's strike. To process the raises, officials at the V.I. Division of Personnel and the Department of Education had to adjust personnel records to process paychecks at the higher rate.
According to Chief Negotiator Karen Andrews, that's where the problems appeared. "To date, 2,206 Notices of Personnel Action (NOPA's) have been prepared by the Department of Education and 2,070 NOPA's have been processed through the Division of Personnel and returned to the Department of Education," Andrews said in a statement released earlier this week.
Of the 136 that have yet to be processed, 37 were declared unverifiable, so Andrews said no raises have gone through. Another 99 are still awaiting verification.
Leaders of the AFT are keeping an eye on the process, making sure their members get their wage increases. President Vernelle De Lagarde of the AFT St. Thomas-St. John District said Friday that her counterpart on St. Croix, Tyrone Molyneaux, has raised the subject with Andrews, since he was instrumental in reaching the last wage agreement.
Andrews termed the delay an "inconvenience," and said Education, Personnel and the other agencies responsible for delivering raises to government employees would try to straighten out the problem as soon as possible.

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