By Nick Buglione
Board President Charles Goldberg made a motion to end the meeting just three speakers in, after he requested before community participation that those in attendance wishing to address issues other than the contract speak first. "We were trying to accommodate our community members and have them speak first, and unfortunately we didn't have it that way," Goldberg said.
East Meadow teachers have been without a contract since their last five-year deal expired Aug. 31, 2004, and have been showing up at board meetings en masse since the beginning of the school year. Hoping to encourage the district to step up its efforts in the collective-bargaining process, the East Meadow Teachers Association (EMTA) has also been lobbying parents to turn out and speak on its behalf.
Talk of the contract negotiations has dominated board meetings all year, so much so that residents wanting to speak on other issues have become frustrated, Goldberg said. So when talk of the contract came up last Thursday, the meeting was adjourned, much to the anger of those in attendance.
"I'm not pleased with the people who represent us," said Gus Pappas, a 28-year East Meadow resident who showed up at the meeting late only to find that it had ended early. "The people we elected to represent us decided that they don't have to listen to us. That is not democracy."
EMTA and the school district have been meeting with a state-appointed mediator since September. The union has been pressuring the district to meet in between mediation sessions, in order to hammer out a contract more quickly.
With its attorney present last Thursday, the board and district officials invited union representatives into a private room to resume talks once the meeting was adjourned. But without the presence of its counsel, the union refused. "EMTA has been asking us to meet without the presence of the mediator and meet more frequently," Goldberg said. "We were trying to do something to move this process along."
Pat Brace, one of the few East Meadow parent who actually spoke at the meeting, said it appeared that the school board had staged the entire scene. "I believe that it was a plan," she said. "They knew they were going to do this."
After a year of contract negotiations, parents are beginning to worry. This is the longest talks have gone on without a settlement in East Meadow history. "We're almost certain that all of our favorite teachers are about to leave," Brace said. "The parents are outraged. They're in shock."
The scores of parents and teachers in attendance tried to continue the meeting after the school board walked out, until they were notified that the police would be called if they didn't leave. A few police cars did arrive, but there were no arrests.
"I and very many others are so disappointed in that they did not even try to allow those who still wished to address the board about matters other than the no-contract issue to speak," said Gail Widro, a Salisbury resident.
The union and the school district last met with the mediator on June 20, a meeting that went through the night. They were to meet again Tuesday, June 28, after press time.
Both sides blame the other for dragging its feet during collective bargaining. Health insurance and salaries are among the major sticking points. "A collective-bargaining agreement is not going to be made by theatrics," East Meadow Deputy Superintendent Leon Campo said. "It's not going to be concluded by bullying."
In recent months, teachers have been wearing black to school and buttons that read, "Working without a contract" and "Negotiate now." They have also been picketing in front of schools before classes on Mondays and Fridays, and making phone calls to residents.
During past negotiations, East Meadow teachers have refused to take classes on field trips, advise clubs or offer students extra help until they had a new contract. "Extra help, writing letters of recommendation, that's what teachers do, and I would never tell them to stop doing that," EMTA President John Gallagher said.
Though the mediation process hasn't gone smoothly, both sides are reluctant to move to the next phase, state-facilitated negotiations. If mediation fails, the parties can enter into what's known as the fact-finding stage. In this stage, both sides submit their arguments to another state-appointed representative on the specific issues stalling the collective-bargaining talks. After considering all the arguments, the representative offers recommended solutions on each issue. It's a time-consuming process that doesn't necessarily guarantee a new contract, since the recommendations aren't legally binding.
"When it's all said and done, the two sides have to talk about the issues," Gallagher said. "I wouldn't advocate anything that would put off discussions, which fact-finding would do."
Comments about this story? NBuglione@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 236.
