Neshaminy teachers end strike; classes to resume Wednesday
Offer to return to work Tuesday, three days before state deadline.
Neshaminy teachers end strike; classes to resume Wednesday
The Neshaminy Federation of Teachers called off its six-day strike today "as an act of good faith," a union spokesman said.
The move came as representatives of the union and the school district participated in a hearing before Bucks County Court Judge Robert O. Baldi.
The union offered to return to work Tuesday, but the district's lawyer said classes could not resume until Wednesday, the NFT spokesman said.
School borad member Mike Morris said students could no return until Wednesday because food supplies need to be brought in.
"We were anticipating being out until Friday,"Morris said. "It's not that we don't want to reopen the schools sooner, but we need food for the Free Lunch programs."
Union President Louise Boyd said n a written statement: "They could have easily done a ‘Global Connect”’ message to parents throughout the district letting them know classes would resume tomorrow but they didn’t feel the need to do so. All it does is unnecessarily prolong the school year by another day and that’s unfortunate.”
The hearing was the result of a request by the state Department of Education for an injunction to get the teachers back to school to complete the school year by June 29.
The state had given the union a June 15 deadline to return to work so students could complete the 180-day school year by the end of the month. But the state also requested that the teachers return earlier than the deadline.
During the strike, as in the union's eight-day strike in January, all classes were canceled in the 13 schools, affecting 7,000 students.
The 633-member union of teachers, guidance counselors, librarians and nurses have been working without a raise for nearly four years, under an expired contract that the school board says it canot afford.
By ending the strike, the union expected to return to the negotiating table Tuesday, Boyd said. But the session will be canceled, Morris said, because the teachers are considered on strike until Wednesday. The board has refusesd to negotiate during a strike.
Both sides are scheduled for another hearing before Baldi on June 25, for the judge to consider ordering court-supervised negotiations.
- Oh, I see exactly what the unions have done for workers. For instance, there is an elementary school teacher in East Stroudsburg making almost $300,000. That wouldn't be possible without unions.
Have a look yourself sometime:
http://www.openpagov.org/ - Reading so many of these comments has to make normal people sad. First of all, the hostility towards people making a decent wage who have earned a masters plus is not surprising during a period of economic instability caused by the private sector. Most of the comments about the private sector are whining about how bad life is in the private sector with no raises, no pensions, and no security. If this is the case, why don't these nitwits try to change things rather than taking things away frompeople who are fortunate to have them. It's just pure jealousy. Interestingly, during times of economic prosperity when people in the pri vate sector are making money hand over fist, none of these teacher haters consider themselves greedy and begrudge themselves the money. What these morons don't seem to understand is what the country will be like in 15 ti 20 years with no unions to fight for decent wages, no pensions for retirees who will have to depend on the stock market(haha) for security during their old age. Meanwhile the people who want this economic Darwinism obviously want a return to the bad ld days of feudalism where the lord and master ruled over the serfs. While pensions are reduced or eliminated, the corporate executives get richer and richer and keep their pensions.— Drumgoole
- "What these people don't seem to understand is what the country will be like in 15 ti 20 years with no unions to fight for decent wages, no pensions for retirees"
No, we understand. It's kind of the goal. - Maybe after they end the strike, they can get the school's copy of the local papers and find out that several other school districts have recently signed contract renewals and took no raise for the 1st year or 2. Until Neshaminy gets realistic, there will be no contract, whether they strike or now.— Pat c
- Neshaminy teachers, get back to work for good and get over it, you LOST!!!— delcopa
- theses folks are professionals..would/do you begrudge a doctor, lawyer or (yikes) a hedge fund manager their salaries?— joegrink
- I guess the 99% has spoken... Not a lot of support from the tax payers for a union that fails to recognize the current economic conditions and continue to over-play their hand. How did the President put it in 08'? We're in (what some) would consider 'the greatest economic crisis since 'the great depression'. I guess the teachers union thought that was just campaign talk and not really an economic reality. Oh well, I guess the 99% (tax payers) are speaking clearly now..., any chance the teachers are getting the message?— dtmcgraw68
- I'm all for unions but...you have to contribute to healthcare....that seems to be a big issue for the teachers. YOU HAVE TO CONTRIBUTE!!! When I was with DC37 in NYC I had to.contribute and that was 15 years ago. What makes them think not contributing can continue????— rafkahn316
