By: Nick Buglione
Scores of teachers, sporting buttons reading, We-re still waiting, packed the meeting room in the Salisbury Center and urged school district officials to return to the bargaining table.
Some 700 teachers from East Meadow-s nine schools have been without a contract for two months, since their five-year deal expired on Aug. 31. Though representatives of the EMTA and the district met four times, beginning in May, to hammer out a new five-year contract, the two couldn-t come to terms, and a mediator is being brought in to facilitate the collective-bargaining process.
Approximately 300 teachers turned out for the September school board meeting, after which EMTA Vice President Mary Bartoszek vowed that they would come to every meeting until a deal is reached.
Recognizing the standing-room only crowd last week, school board President Charles Goldberg kicked off the meeting with a statement on the collective-bargaining process. In the spring, the district entered into these current negotiations with a willingness to provide our teachers with a fair contract and a sincere hope that the process could be resolved quickly and amicably, Goldberg said. Unfortunately, the teachers- union approached these negotiations very differently.
The union presented the district with 49 separate proposals, as opposed to the district-s minor list of 10 proposals, Goldberg said. He characterized the union-s demands as economically disastrous and managerially irresponsible. The union said it has since reduced its list to 35 proposals.
Neither side has specifically detailed its demands, though it is known that the district wants teachers to put more money into their health care plan. They currently contribute 15 percent, but the district wants to kick that up to 25 percent. Charging that their salaries are in the lower half of all teachers on Long Island, the union is seeking better pay.
It was our belief that the gap between the parties was simply too great, and that an outside mediator could hopefully provide assistance in closing that gap, Goldberg said.
EMTA President John Gallagher, however, said that walking away from the bargaining table is an age-old tactic in the school district and that teachers have become accustomed to [the district-s] animosity. Gallagher added, We are disheartened you have chosen this path. The East Meadow Teachers Association did not bring us to this point. You, the Board of Education, did.
The district and the union are set to meet with the mediator on Nov. 22, but Gallagher said he hoped administrators would be willing to sit back down with the teachers before then. The East Meadow Teachers Association would gladly meet with board representatives tomorrow or tonight, he said. We don-t have to wait until Nov. 22.
Following his comments, Gallagher exchanged words with Superintendent Dr. Robert Dillon. Dillon accused the union of hampering the collective-bargaining process by making this a public issue. We didn-t put on the shirts, Dillon said. We didn-t put on the buttons.
Meanwhile, some residents complained that they were denied entry to the meeting because of the large crowd. To accommodate the huge turnout, an adjacent room with video conferencing technology was opened. I-m concerned that at a public forum, I was locked out, said Christine Vasilev, a 50-year resident who went on to voice her support for the teachers. I-m happy to pay the increase in taxes for you to come to a quick settlement.
Goldberg apologized that some residents were denied entry, and promised it would not happen in the future.
Until a new deal is reached, East Meadow teachers will continue to work under the terms of their expired contract. Since they are considered public employees, the Taylor Law prevents them from going on strike.
The next school board meeting is on Nov. 18.
Comments about this story? NBuglione@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 236.
