Posted on 06/21/2005 6:17:47 AM PDT by Born Conservative
Board to vote on whether to accept rescinded letter today, solicitor says Crestwood teacher negotiations Board to vote on whether to accept rescinded letter today, solicitor says
Union president says letter was misconstrued to imply mass resignation.
WRIGHT TWP. (PA) – The president of the Crestwood Education Association hand delivered a written statement to Superintendent Richard Duffy’s home late Monday night rescinding a June 14 letter in which he said teachers would be “unwilling to work” if a new contract isn’t inked prior to the start of the 2005-2006 school year.
The most recent letter, like the first, was penned by Joseph Chmiola Jr., who serves as the teachers union president. It reads in part, “I am writing to advise you that to the extent the June 14, 2005 letter was construed as a resignation is hereby rescinded.”
School board Solicitor Jack Dean said the board plans to vote today to accept the “rescinded resignation,” and if it is accepted, will not go forward with plans to advertise for new faculty.
“The union recognized, obviously, that their (original) letter has rightfully been construed as a mass resignation and that the board was willing to accept it for how it was written,” Dean said. “This board went eye to eye with the union and the union blinked.”
Reached at home Monday night, Chmiola downplayed his most recent letter, saying it was nothing more than another effort to clarify the message he intended to relay in his June 14 correspondence.
“It’s real simple, basically this letter says the original letter was not a mass resignation, which is what I’ve been saying all along,” Chmiola said. “They keep saying it was a mass resignation and I keep saying it wasn’t. This is just another effort on my part to get that across.”
Chmiola said he was not pressured by union membership to rescind the June 14 letter.
“I wasn’t hearing that at all, in fact those members I talked to about this (second) letter said, ‘Why are you doing that?’ ” said Chmiola.
Chmiola added he simply wanted to cover all bases.
Dean said board members hope Monday’s correspondence represents a breakthrough in what has been an often bitter, 3-year-long battle to reach a new contract with the district’s 160 teachers.
“We hope this is a step toward some progress,” said Dean. “We have a negotiation session set for July 7 and the board, as it has always done, will go into that session in good faith with the fervent hope of reaching an agreement.”
Health care is the biggest issue dividing the two sides, with teachers resisting the board’s effort to institute a healthcare cost-sharing plan.
Chmiola said the union is serious about wanting to negotiate a deal and that his recent letters were intended to convey that message.
TO: Mr. Richard T. Duffy, Superintendent
FROM: Mr. Joseph J. Chmiola, Jr., CEA President
DATE: June 20, 2005
RE: Letter of June 14, 2005
Dear Mr. Duffy:
Pursuant to our June 20, 2005 conversation, I am writing to advise you that to the extent the June 14, 2005 letter that was construed as a resignation is hereby rescinded.
As we discussed, the purpose of the June 14th letter was to ensure that the District and Association meet over the summer on a regular and timely basis to resolve our longstanding contractual dispute. As you are aware, this has become a most serious matter, as we are now 3 1/2 years without a successor agreement.
Again, the June 14th letter was not a letter of resignation from the members of the Crestwood Education Association or myself or any other individual. No one has resigned and no one from the Crestwood Education Association is resigning from their employment with the Crestwood School District.
As we stated in the June 14th letter, we are stressing the importance of the District and Association meeting and negotiating on a regular and timely basis to reach a mutually acceptable agreement.
Finally, I want to thank you for your call, and for resolving the misunderstanding.
Sincerely,
Joseph J. Chmiola, Jr.
CEA President
Teacher strikes are legal in PA, so long as the students are able to complete 180 days of school by June 30.
Thats too bad, even though I was once a teacher, I don't believe teachers should be able to strike. If there is something they don't like about their jobs, they should be able to negotiate for it or leave. I don't believe firemen or police should have the right to strike either. They should sign no-strike contracts and if they don't like the terms of the contract, they should not sign. They would have more community respect if they were to do this.
The main (and oftentimes only) sticking point in negotiations for PA teachers' unions is that they do not want to pay 1 single penny towards health care premiums. The PSEA is holding hard on this, and there have been numerous strikes around the state.
Not all teachers are nation-hating indoctrinating communists either. There are many who do indeed care about kids and try to do a good job. There are indeed some bad ones, but there are also some good ones as well
I personally, get troubled, when the labels are applied to the military which has happened all too often recently. I'm still disturbed ty the assault against the Catholic clergy too. I'm agitated at the attacks against the Boy Scouts by the gays.
Hit em where it hurts......HOME SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!
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