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Clock ticking on teacher contracts
Teachers union contracts will be negotiated in 10 Washington and Greene public school entities this year.
In addition to the Intermediate Unit 1 and the Greene County Career and Technology Center, eight districts will be negotiating teacher contracts that are ending this summer, said Mary Jane Phillips, Pennsylvania State Education Association communications organization specialist.
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There were no early-bird contracts this year. Initial bargaining sessions will begin in January, Phillips said. Some unions will share initial proposals then, she said.
She expects that salary and benefits will be among the negotiated issues this year. Some unions also negotiate educational issues, such as class size and getting appropriate materials for classes, she said.
"We always hope that it goes well," Phillips said.
Washington is exploring timed mediation. Union and district representatives will have a meeting in January to learn more about how that process works, said Washington business manager Rick Mancini.
Timed mediation limits the issues that can be negotiated, he said. Each side picks the issues they want to negotiate. They spend a weekend working through one issue at a time. After the issue is resolved, it cannot be brought back up for negotiation, he said.
Both parties will have to decide if they want to use that process, he said.
He expects the negotiations to be a lot smoother than the last time around, when the teachers went on strike.
"I think both sides want to try and get it resolved," Mancini said.
Southeastern Greene School Board and the district's teachers union held an initial bargaining session in November.
Another session has not yet been scheduled, said district business manager Pat Sweeney.
"We're just waiting until after the holidays," he said. "We should have one fairly quickly after that."
At the initial meeting, the board was presented with a proposal from the 57-member Southeastern Greene Education Association. The board intends to review that proposal and develop a counter-proposal, Sweeney said.
Though the talks are only beginning, Sweeney said he expected the main issues will be those that are normally considered during negotiations. These are salaries and the "total benefits package," which includes not only health care but also the district's contributions for retirement.
The district's current three-year contract expires June 30.
West Greene School District just started negotiating with its teachers union with a meet-and-greet session in early December. The current contract will expire June 30. Both sides will gather again to begin formal negotiations Jan. 15.
Thelma Szarell, West Greene superintendent, said negotiations almost always come down to salary and benefits, and this year, a key component will be health benefits.
"No matter where you work, it seems that all workers are having to pay more because the cost of the health benefits has just been skyrocketing," she said.
Nevertheless, Szarell is optimistic that the union and school district will be able to reach a fair contract without too many problems.
Fort Cherry business manager Paul Sroka also expects salaries and health benefits to be negotiated issues.
Sroka said the district is moving toward teachers paying something for health insurance premiums because all other employees do. Those changes were negotiated with the other unions since the last teachers contract was approved.
"Each side has issues they want resolved," he said. "It's usually between March and June that's there's movement. It really depends on what each group considers a core issue. It's give and take on both sides."
If a district and union can't reach an agreement, they can go through mediation, Sroka said. If that's not resolved, teachers work under the existing contract unless they strike.
Cara Host and Bob Niedbala contributed to this report.
Ransom : 1/4/2009
It's time for the teachers to take the children hostage again, untill the get what they want out of a new contract. Sound familiar? Just like the steel workers, iron workers, teamsters, auto workers, ect. Another union that needs to be eliminated compleatly for the better of the children, like the democrats always say.
Unions - HUMBUGGERS! : 1/4/2009
Just say NO to union demands and say take it or leave it. The taxpayers are way over-burdened now and if there are no survivors, then what? Face reality.
contract ending : 1/4/2009
What about Central Greene? Theirs ends in June as well................
TEACHERS CONTRACTS : 1/4/2009
Look, it's high time that school teachers be denied the right to STRIKE. In these tough economic times, school teachers need to realize that they can not expect pay raises or enhancements to their benefits packages. We are all struggling to make ends meet. Teachers should accept a "No-Strike" clause in their contracts. Pennsylvania is one of the few states that allows teachers to strike. I believe it's time to put an end to that NONSENSE. Accept binding arbitration or find a new job!!!!
Get ready : 1/5/2009
Well Canon Mac taxpayers, get ready for another tax hike.
assuming : 1/5/2009
why is it you all assume the teachers are going to strike and they are going to ask for outrageous pay raises? Everyone deserves a simple cost of living raise. But I guess you think it is OK for football players and hockey players to make millions for playing a game, and it is OK for the tax payers to pay for the new stadiums, if they want a new place to "PLAY", let them pay for it, no us.
Strikes : 1/5/2009
And exactly how many of you that commented are teachers? How many of you have spent one day in a classroom? Teachers do deserve a bit more considering that some parents don't want the responsibility of teaching their child basic things like morals and conduct.
Where? : 1/5/2009
What planet have you been living on? The monopoly controlled by the teachers union has allways, and allways will demand, and receive a large pay raise. They care not about the people who have to pay for the raise. These same thugs bought and payed for the legislature to vote for the right to strike. Do you think the union, or the legislature cares about you?
Ignorance : 1/6/2009
Why is it that everytime there is an article about Teacher contracts folks come out of the woodwork to start teacher bashing? Let's face it, the legislature has shifted the burden of funding public education to the local tax payer through property taxes. And the local tax payer then sees it in increased taxes. Hence they get angry at the teachers, the union, the school board, or whomever else is local that they can lash out at. But where is the outrage with the legislature? They spend more on Welfare in the state budget then they do edcuation! They have dropped their funding of education from close to 50% to less than 33%. Who picks up the tab for that? You do! Let's put the anger where it belongs, back on the state legislature that has shirked their responsibility for funding education, and shifted it to the local tax payers! Not to mention all the awhile increasing the state mandates on school districts!
: 1/6/2009
Everyone deserves a cost of living raise? I haven't had one in years because of economic times, but it's easy to raise the taxes on taxpayers to pay your cost of living raise, we have no choice but to pay it. I have lived in the Canon Mac school district for 6 years and have had my taxes raised at least 3 times, so when the teachers contract needs to be renewed the taxpayers pay. Unions have ruined every industry in the U.S. and companies have moved out of the country, but with the teachers union we have no choice but to pay. It will be interesting to see how many of these teachers go on strike.
Head back to school : 1/8/2009
Maybe some of the individuals that have responded above should have paid better attention to their studies in school. Your ignorance of the English language and the lack of knowledge about the importance of Unions to the Pittsburgh region is immense.
