-7/7/26

First:  All pay adjustments for the July 2025 2.5% GWI and the January 2026 Step Increases (including TopStepPayments) should be completed.  
Then, as of 6/26/2026, another 2.5% GWI was implemented and this will be reflected in your July 23rd paycheck.  
 The next increase thereafter will be the January Step Increases which will be effective 12/25/26 and reflected in your January 22, 2027 paycheck (including TopStepPayments).  We are still on track to receive our backpay in the August 21 paycheck. 

Next: Some salary grade changes took effect on June 26th as well:
     Transportation

The 6/12/26 paychecks will reflect your 2.5% General Wage Increase (the GWI from July 1, 2025) as well as your Step increase from December 26, 2025 (for those who earned a Step) AND it will include the TopStepPayment for those who were at the TopStep on 12/26/25.  The retro-active payments for this GWI and Step increase are still targeted to be paid on August 21, 2026, but your current hourly rate has been adjusted for this week's paycheck and the TopStepPayment owed will also be included in this paycheck.  

The next 2.5% GWI will be effective on June 26, 2026.  It will be on time and it will

-5/22/26 

First, a reminder that this is Memorial Day weekend honoring our fallen heroes. We wish everyone a safe, kind, and reflective holiday.

We also want to re-iterate that the target date for your raises and steps remains your June 11 paycheck. This means that the 2.5% General Wage Increase (GWI) and January 2026 Step increase would have been applied effective May 15. If this timeline holds true, back pay would stop accruing as of May 14.

Back pay is still targeted to be paid in your August 21 paycheck.

For those looking to estimate your own back pay:

• July 1 through December 25 (the final

-05/06/26

General Wage Increases and Back Pay:  Now that the contract is complete and there is a 2.5% GWI & Step/TSP due retroactive to 2025, everyone wants to know when this money will hit their paychecks.  This will be completed in two phases: First will be a change to your hourly rate/step and the second phase will be your back-pay.  We expect that the 2025 GWI and Step will be applied first and is targeted to be in your June 12 paycheck.  Once the GWI and Steps are applied, then the back pay is no longer accruing and it gives payroll units the ability to calculate each individual's back pay

An impressive number of outstanding applications were submitted this year, and we are proud to announce our 2026 A&R Scholarship recipients
A giant thank you to the wonderful volunteers on our Scholarship Cmte for all the effort and thought they put in again this year.

This year's winners are as follows (parent in parentheses):

Harry Zilber Scholarship - $2,500     Ariona Bako Dishnica  (Olsa Dishnica – DMV)
Mike Winkler Scholarship - $2,500     Adriana Buccheri     (Ashley Gustafson – OHS)

High School
$1,500  Simon Salinas (Mariela Salina – DOC)
$1,500  Gabriella Bourdon (Sarah Bogdanski-Bourdon –

-4/30/25

The Senate has passed our contract by a vote of 26 Yes, 10 No
All 25 Democratic Senators and 1 Republican Senator (Sen John Kissell of Enfield) voted in favor of the contract.   

View the Senate Vote Tally Sheet

Later that Wednesday evening, the House passed our contract with a vote of 107 Yes, 42 No...All 101 Democrats voted in favor and 6 Republicans voted in favor.

View the House Vote Tally Sheet

This was the final step in a long journey!!  The pursuit of our successor agreement has concluded and we now have our new contract!

The wage changes and the entire contract are in effect