I would like to take this opportunity to thank Lois Samsel-Cronk and the MTA Grievance Committee for taking my grievance to the Middletown Board of Education and successfully correcting an error in longevity step compensation for me.

The whole process began when a fellow MTA member advised me of the five year increment service credit. I realized, after reading through the MTA contract, that I might be entitled to credit for prior work experience which I had not received for several years.

When I contacted Lois Samsel-Cronk about this, she took an active role in compiling all of my information and initiating my grievance. When it was denied at Stage 1, Lois persisted through Stage 2, when my grievance was brought before the superintendent and his staff. After examining the circumstances, documentation, and chronology, it was determined that a longevity step should have been in place, but had been omitted inadvertently on my memorandum.

The reason I am writing this is to let other MTA members know why it is a good idea to review the contract and your memorandum every so often, to be sure that all of the details of your employment and benefits are accurate.

I would also like to thank Chris Meurer, the colleague who first advised me about the possibility that an error existed that needed to be corrected.

I hope that my sharing this experience with you will help you to see just one way our union supports us. Kudos again!

Gail Rosenberg
Maple Hill Elementary School