Concerning Protracted NFT—NSD Contract Dispute
LANGHORNE, PA (AUGUST 30, 2012) — Bargaining teams for teachers and the Neshaminy School District met again tonight for talks aimed at reaching a new contract.
Lawyers for the parties attended an hour-long chambers conference on Thursday afternoon with Bucks County Court of Common Pleas Judge Robert O. Baldi regarding the court’s future participation in the conduct of collective bargaining negotiations. The meeting was held at the suggestion of the court to evaluate how it (the court) could render assistance to the parties consistent with the law.
After a thorough review of the parties’ very different views regarding the reasons for the lack of progress in the negotiations, the conclusion was reached that a different approach was necessary if ultimate resolution is to be achieved. In that regard, the Judge agreed that direct personal assistance from William Gross, the Director of the Bureau of Mediation, could provide a different and new skilled perspective to the deadlock.
This approach had been suggested in open court by the Federation and was vigorously opposed by the District during the proceedings before Judge Baldi last month. An effort by Judge Baldi to contact Mr. Gross at the conclusion of the meeting was unsuccessful, but the judge left a detailed voicemail message for him requesting that he contact both parties.
Subsequent to the conference with Judge Baldi, both sides met for a negotiation session. Again, this evening’s session ended with no progress. After waiting for more than an hour for the session to begin, the Federation was presented with what the Board characterized as being a complete new proposal.
“When we painstakingly examined the thirty four page “proposal”, we were again bitterly disappointed,” said NFT President Louise Boyd. “We quickly saw that the promised “complete new proposal” was nothing more than a rehash of the same offer that the Board has been making for nearly five years. The only difference was that it contained a new exhibit restating the same offer. No other substantive offer was made.
“Even though we made a small advance this week when the Board recommitted to its earlier agreement on 12 lesser issues originally identified in the Arbitrator’s report this summer,” said Boyd, “teachers and other certified staff in Neshaminy schools remain disappointed at the slow pace of progress in the talks.”
At a meeting earlier this week, the NFT membership expressed its overwhelming support for the union bargaining team’s efforts and approach. “Our members remain confident that a new contract is within reach, and they remain hopeful that we can move toward different—more collaborative and mutually respectful—dynamics in our relationship with this School Board,” Boyd explained.
Neshaminy teachers are in their fifth school year without a new contract. They continue to work under the terms of the contract that expired in 2008.
“Teachers feel a sense of responsibility to all stakeholders in the Neshaminy public schools—students first, and parents, administrators and community residents—to get this done and move forward with a new agreement that ends this process and gives everyone a chance to repair the bad feelings it has caused,” Boyd said.
NFT members have continued to make concessions through more than four years of talks, including a new offer on health insurance premiums this week. “However,” Boyd said, “the ‘baby steps’ toward a resolution that were highlighted by the Board are simply not enough. For the sake of our students and our community, the Board should help steer negotiations into a faster lane.”
The next bargaining session is scheduled Sept. 6.