Riverhead schools, non-instructional employees OK 5-year labor deal

The Riverhead Central School District and the union representing its non-instructional employees have reached a five-year deal on a labor contract retroactive to the current school year extending through July 2029.

Members of the Civil Service Employees Association — which represents custodians, groundskeepers, clerks, assistants, cafeteria workers, transportation workers and others — will receive a new pay schedule starting July 1. The schedule provides a larger raise to employees with six or more years of service in the district and a smaller increase to newer employees. 

The Riverhead Board of Education unanimously approved the union’s contract at its meeting Tuesday. Unit President Sonya Johnson did not return a text message requesting comment on Friday. 

There are 43 titles in the district’s CSEA unit, with each title earning a different wage. Each position will receive a 2% raise at the beginning of the 2026-2027, 2027-2028 and 2028-29 school years.

Employees will not receive a raise for the current school year, nor will they receive retroactive pay for the period since the previous contract expired last July. 

The new agreement is based on the previous contract, which established a pay system based on years of service. Employees hired before Sept. 1, 2010, earn “Platinum” hourly wages — typically a few dollars more than employees hired after that date, who receive “Bronze” wages.

The new contract restructures that system, introducing five longevity-based pay categories, rather than two. 

• Bronze: 0-5 years of district employment
• Silver: 6-10 years of district employment
• Gold 11-14 years of district employment
• Platinum: 15-19 years of district employment
• Platinum Plus: 20 or more years of district employment

Other benefits connected to longevity, including increased vacation time and additional stipends based on an employee’s years of service, remain in the agreement.

The contract also allows unit members to waive family health insurance coverage in exchange for a $10,000 payment. However, this provision only takes effect if at least 135 unit members choose to waive their coverage.

Interim Assistant Superintendent for Business Marianne Cartisano said in an April interview that the costs associated with the new contract were accounted for in the 2025-2026 budget, in anticipation of an agreement being reached.

Union leaders and their members have periodically attended school board meetings over the past few years advocating for a pay raise. 

In May 2023, transportation workers told the school board their wages were insufficient to keep up with the rising cost of living and lower than other school districts and private bus companies. With the contract nearing expiration, more than 40 CSEA employees rallied at a school board meeting in April 2024. The union last spoke publicly about the contract during a December school board meeting.