News Photo by Charles Madison Alpena Community College Board of Trustees Chairman John Briggs, center, speaks during a meeting on Thursday.

ALPENA –The Alpena Community College Board of Trustees has approved a new labor contract with the school’s education support professionals.

The school’s current four-year contract with the ACC Educational Support Professional Michigan Education Association/National Education Association expires on June 30 and the board unanimously approved a new contract during its monthly meeting on Thursday.

The new contract is for four years and extends from July 1 of this year to June 30, 2026.

“We appreciate the effort of everyone in the bargaining committee,” Board Chairman John Briggs said, referring to union bargaining committee members, April Jett, Jackie Whitter, and Bridget Hollinshead.

For part-time employees, sick leave was added, the probationary period changed from three months to 60 calendar days, and the previous 10% decrease in pay while on probation was removed.

“It went really well,” Jett said. “We do mutual gains bargaining so it’s very data driven. We go in with data to back up what we’re asking for, and we negotiate. It’s a lot better than other types of negotiation where you just go in and yell at each other.”

Employee evaluations will now be conducted annually instead of biannually, along with wage increases by percentages regarding steps and longevity.

“People who are part time have just as much benefit as people who are full time,” Jett said, adding that this would hopefully help with retention in a climate where it can sometimes be a struggle to keep a position filled.

ACC trustees previously received a summary of provisions and the board was periodically updated on the bargaining process.

“There’s no yelling, we just review the data,” Whitter said. “I think we created some more equity in our group between full-time and part-time people, and that was one of our goals.”

Employee wage increase for 2022 is 4% plus step rates, lowering one percent per year until 2025 which is 1.5%. Longevity pay was also increased to $750 beyond five years, $1,250 beyond ten years, $1,750 beyond 15 years, and $2,250 beyond 20 years.

In other business

The Alpena Community College Board of Trustees on Thursday also:

∫ held a budget workshop before the meeting. The 2023 budget is currently balanced, but does not factor in any potential faculty retirements. There is a projected potential deficit of $347,874 if COVID affected numbers remain the same.

∫ approved men’s baseball as ACC’s sixth NJCAA-approved athletic sport. A search is underway for a head coach and an assistant coach.

∫awarded completion scholarships to high school students taking college courses. Two were homeschool students awarded full semester scholarships to complete their courses. Five were Alpena High School students, two received full year scholarships and three for one semester.