The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Schoo1 caretakers sign deal 'he union representing caretakers and maintenance 'li'f witlîi lIlalson 1Xoad of Educatioîî has agreed to absorb the lots of 23 fuIl-time equivalent (FIFE) posi- tions as part of its new contract. The collective agreement resched by the board and Local 1011 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees was ratified by trustees last week. 'he contract is a 14-month deal which expires Aug. 31, 1998. The 23 ETEs will be removed from thse current comn- plement of 300 full and part-time workers by June 30, 1998. The board believes that layoffs can be svoided through attrition snd proposed govemment changes to the Ontario Municipal Employees' Retirement Savings pension plan, presumahly which would make it essier for longtime employees 10 retire. The agreement also calîs for thse removal of at lest $50,000 from CUPE's benefits package by no later than Nov. 1, 1997. Other highlights of the deal include: e Deletion of job security and cost of living Seniors' home are hoping sal By KAREN SMITH The Champion The Manian Courtyard sales teani will pull out al the stops to get their planned seniors' residence off the ground. Organizers of Holy Rosary Church's $6.5 million project are seeking other means with which to begin construction since sales of units have been slow, said Martha Gleeson, projeet chair. 'The non-profit residence to be situated beside Holy Rosary on land owned by the Diocese of Hamilton must have 40 of thse 51 units purchased before con- struction can begin. Currently, only about 20 have been sold. But Ms Gleeson said the volunteer teani is loôking into other options and hopes construction can begin without reaching thse sales quota. "We think people will be more willing to buy when they see the place," she said. Alexanian Carpets (P) Buway (P) Cashway (P) LOEB (P) M&M Meat$ Shops Sale & Sound (P) Hakim Optical Z M e Joggers Lockhard Educational International Correspondence Schools (I05 Canadian Ltd.> LOEB Town & Country Window Cleaning Grand & Toy LOEB Sears allowance clauses *A $500 signing bonus for ail luilltime staff (pro- rated for part-time) as of Feb. 1, 1998 in thse form of an RRSP contribution. An additional $500 bonus with thse saine conditions by thse end of lune 1998 -Laid-off employees will be given 60 working days notice or pay in lieu. Those working during their notice will be given nine days paid leave to look for altemate work. CUPE Local 10 11 president John McEgan said the deal is about as good as could be expected. "In light of the times we find ourselves in, 1 believe that this is a reasonable and fair agreement for both parties." The Halton board now has just two employee groupa without collective agreements. The more than 400 penmanent contractual and termi- specific instructional assistants do not have a first con- tract. The two sides have applied for conciliation but don' t have a date yet. Negotiations with the board's 1,040 secondary school teachers and a mediator aren't expected to resume until the tirst or second week of September. backers es pick up She added that negotiations are underway, but she couldn't disclose details. Three more units were sold this summuer, however, two sales felI through because buyers couldn't wait, Ms Gleeson said. Organizers had hoped construction would begin this month, but its now anticipated October will be thse ear- liest ground-breaking. Ms Gleeson said the summer was tough for sales, but she's optimistic that more interest will be shown in the fall. The one and two-bedmoom units range in size froin 680 to 1,140 square feet and prices range from $90,000 to $1 60,000. A maintenance fée of $120 to $200 wiIl be charged monthly. A covered walkway will link the four-storey resi- dence to thse chureh offices, Parish Hall, the chureh and chapel. A dining ares, library, games room and underground parking lot will be built and units will have views of a landscaped courtyard or Marian Grotto. For more information caîl 878-195 1. J