Peters teachers and district resuming talks
Talks between the Peters Township School District and the Peters Township Federation of Teachers Local 3421 resumed this morning after they failed to reach an agreement Thursday following more than nine hours of closed-door talks.
Prior to the start of the meeting, arbitrator Timothy Tietze suggested negotiations and acted in the role of mediator in the interest of bringing about a resolution to the contract dispute.
However, the hearings were postponed and talks began with the re-establishing of many of the educational points that had been agreed upon in earlier sessions. Economic issues were the focus of the afternoon, with salaries and healthcare the major points of the discussion.
If the district and the teacher’s union do not reach an agreement on today, then it is back to the negotiating table. The union’s labor agreement with the district expired Aug. 31. It is still possible there may be another strike. The union must give the district 48 hours notice if it intends to strike again.
“The only way to find a resolution is to work together,” said Jeannine French, district superintendent. “I was encouraged by the willingness to talk, but the same issues derailed the conversation. We need to find a way to come to an agreement that is acceptable to our teachers and responsible to our community.”
Kris Bergman, union president, declined comment.
Last fall’s three-week work stoppage by the district’s 285 teachers pushed the last day of school back to June 23 for the more than 4,000 students who attend school in the district. By state law, students must receive 180 days of instruction by June 30, which means if another strike takes place it will be shorter than the fall walkout. Graduation for seniors is still scheduled for June 10.
The average teacher’s salary in Peters is more than $70,000 a year, the district said.