Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 12-15-15 Edition

Features
School District Blue-Collar Employees Get Okay For New Contract; No Agreement Yet For Teachers
BY WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
Members of the Hillsbor- ough School Employees Fed- eration received an early Christmas present last week after the county school board unanimously approved a new contract for the union.
A new agreement between the union that represents Hillsborough County Public Schools’ blue-collar workers – including bus drivers and cus- todians – and the School Board will move those work- ers who are at the top of the pay scale by one level and the second-highest paid workers by two levels. All other blue collar workers will move up three levels on the pay scale.
The Board also agreed to a one-time $100 bonus to offset potential increases in health insurance. It’s expected that workers will receive that bonus next week.
Also, the Board agreed to pay the full cost of employee- only health insurance pre- mium for a designated health plan for the 2015-2016 school
IRAN ALICEA ...President, Hillsborough School Employees Federation
year.
And the board agreed to
pay the full cost of uniforms for eligible employees for the current school year.
All salary adjustments were approved with no retroactive pay.
Both sides of the bargain- ing table praised the contract and congratulated each other on reaching an agreement.
Iran Alicea, the union’s president, said his member- ship overwhelmingly ap- proved the contract, with
approximately 1,107 of 1,140 voting in favor of it.
He offered thanks “from the bottom of my heart” to the Board and its bargaining team.
Board member Susan Valdes said that many blue- collar workers have to apply for food stamps something “that should not be happen- ing in our district.”
“This is a very exciting contract to see,” she said. “It’s a long time coming for (work- ers).”
Board member Doretha Edgecomb said she, too, was pleased with the outcome of the negotiation process.
The contract “represents the ability to give and to take,” she said.
“It may not be exactly where they (union members), want to be, but it’s a begin- ning,” she said. “I hope they feel their voices have been heard.”
Negotiations continue be- tween the District and the union that represents teach- ers, the Hillsborough Class- room Teachers Association.
Young Mom Killed; Toddler, Man Seriously Injured
A 19-year-old Tampa woman was killed in a traffic accident this weekend on Courtney Campbell Causeway Blvd. Two others in the vehicle were seriously injured.
According to Tampa Police, the accident was reported at 6:29 p.m., Sunday. Their inves- tigation revealed that the vehi- cle in which Ms. Sha-Myah Hydiah Turner was driving veered into the concrete barrier then rolled over.
Police said it appears that Ms. Turner was traveling westbound on the Courtney Campbell Causeway when she received a text message. “She became distracted as she looked down at her phone and veered into a concrete barrier,” police said.
The investigation deter- mined that the vehicle flipped over and Ms. Turner was par- tially ejected. At some point, as the vehicle rolled, her two- year-old daughter, Zacarin Neal, who was in her car seat, was ejected from the vehicle. The car seat was improperly buckled in, police said.
A passerby is said to have taken the child to Mease Coun- tryside Hospital, in Clearwater. She was then airlifted to St. Joseph’s Hospital, where she was admitted in serious condi-
SHA-MYAH HYDIAH TURNER 8/16/1996 --- 12/13/2016
tion, police said.
Marquise Neal, 20, of
Tampa, was also a passenger in the vehicle and was also seri- ously injured. Neal and Ms. Turner were also transported to St. Joseph’s Hospital, where Ms. Turner was pronounced dead. Neal was admitted in se- rious condition with non-life threatening injuries.
The child is expected to sur- vive her injuries. All three shared a Tampa address.
The investigation into the cause of the accident is contin- uing.
No funeral home had been assigned the body at press time.
Elderly Clearwater Man Reported Missing Located Safely
LAWRENCE TAITT Located and returned home
An eighty-year-old Clearwater man who suffers from dementia was reported missing on Friday. He was located safely on Satur- day.
According to the Clearwater Police Department, Lawrence Taitt was last seen on Friday at his residence in the Countryside area. He was believed to be on foot at the time he was reported missing.
A Silver Alert was issued for Taitt, who is 5’7” and weighs 155 pounds. Police also passed out flyers in the area.
On Saturday, Taitt was located at a Checkers Restaurant, in Pasco County on U. S. Highway 19.
Taitt was not harmed and was returned to his residence.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2015 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 3