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Penn-Trafford Teachers Strike Update
by Abie / Rustbelt Radio
Sunday, Jan. 08, 2006 at 1:21 PM
radio@indypgh.org
Teachers in the Penn-Trafford School District have been working without a contract since June, and held a strike last Thanksgiving for 12 days, which ended when the school board agreed to enter face-to-face negotiations last November. Now the negotiations are at an impasse over salary increase.
Teachers in the Penn-Trafford School District have been working without a contract since June, and held a strike last Thanksgiving for 12 days, which ended when the school board agreed to enter face-to-face negotiations last November. Now the negotiations are at an impasse over salary increase. The teachers want an agreement that yields an average salary increase of $3,550 while the school board wants to raise salaries by only $2400.
In December, the school board requested that the dispute enter so-called final best-offer arbitration, where both sides present their final contract offers to an arbitrator, who recommends which one he thinks is fairest. This is a non-binding decision, but according to an Associated Press story, such rulings often spur negotiations when they're made public.
The Penn-Trafford Education Association rejected the request last week, saying “there is little chance of the school board accepting a positive settlement should the arbiter rule in our favor.”
Following this rejection, the chief negotiator for the school board, who was also representing Highland School District in similar negotiations with their teachers, was fired from the Highland position. The Highland School Board president explained the decision by saying “the approach of using Andrews now, like before, didn't accomplish anything.”
Sexist!
by callin' you out
Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2006 at 12:33 PM
"both sides present their final contract offers to an arbitrator, who recommends which one _he_ thinks is fairest."
Um, like the arbitrator is obviously male, because females lack the mental abilities necessary for such a job? Fuck that.
Notice to Cyber Stalkers
by Not O'Brien Tuesday
Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2006 at 8:19 PM
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