(NIAGARA FALLS, NEW YORK) – After 18 months of bargaining, a new five-year contract has been ratified by a 3-to-1 margin by Niagara Falls Teachers Association (NFTA) Local 801’s Membership, Union Officials tell WNYLaborToday.com.

The agreement, which expires in June 2024, was negotiated with the Niagara Falls School Board and the NFTA’s 16-Member Bargaining Team, “all of which had input” on the new contract, said NFTA President Marcus Latham, whose New York State United Teachers (NYSUT)-affiliated Union represents 601 Members.

The agreement calls for an overall 7.5% wage increase.  However, in conjunction with a Wage Step System, NFTA Membership could receive up to a yearly increase of 3%, Latham said. 

In addition, the NFTA “also kept health and medical costs down” in the contract, he said.  While NFTA Members pay about 8% of their medical/health costs under a Flexible Spending Account, they could receive back up to 2.5% if it goes unused, he added.

“There were a lot of things (the Niagara Falls School Board) wanted, but we were able to ‘hold the line,’” Latham told Your On-Line Labor Newspaper.  “We were even able to get ‘more of a say’ in professional development.  In fact, I was just at NYSUT’s Representative Assembly in Albany where State Department of Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia told all that we should ‘negotiate such a say’ - ‘so we were ahead of the curve on that one.’”

NFTA Members, who voted by a final tally of 347-to-103 to ratify the new deal, are “generally pleased” with the contract, Latham told WNYLaborToday.com.

“There are certain segments (of NFTA Membership) who ‘wanted more, but we believe this is a fair deal’ for the ‘entire’ Membership.’  We now have ‘five years of Labor Peace, so our Members have nothing to worry about,’” said Latham, who told Your On-Line Labor Newspaper that news of the new Teachers’ contract was not covered by the local Niagara Falls Media.

On another note, Latham - who has served as NFTA President for the past six years, is retiring in June.  He has been a NYSUT Member for 30 years.

Succeeding Latham will be Daniel Weiss, an NFTA Member and Teacher employed at the Niagara Street Elementary School in the Falls.