Teacher contract negotiations stall

Union, school board call on mediator to resolve differences

By Jason Starr

The Colchester Sun

Colchester’s school board and teachers’ union are looking for a mediator to resolve an impasse in contract negotiations.

The teachers’ current contract, agreed to after a 14-day strike in 2005, expires in June. The two sides have been meeting either weekly or biweekly since October to come to a new agreement, but talks stalled in April.

“We’ve come to a point where we don’t agree on everything, and at that time you ask for help,” School Board Chairman Dirk Reith said.

A mutually agreed upon mediator will facilitate further negotiations and attempt to resolve sticking points. If no progress is made, the mediator will proceed to a more formal process that includes taking written testimony from both sides and producing a formal, non-binding settlement recommendation.

“We had productive talks, but we didn’t get all the way to an agreement,” said Colchester English teacher Mike Long, a member of the union’s negotiating team. “A mediator will work with us to try to get us to an agreement.”

Just like in 2005, health insurance costs and teachers’ pay are the central issues of disagreement. However, Long said the tone of these negotiations is less contentious than the last time around.

“The last session that led to the strike stood out; from the very first meeting, the board’s lawyer was doing all the negotiating,” Long said. “This time, there hasn’t been a lawyer involved. The board is doing all their negotiating. It’s been a much more hopeful process.”

Negotiations could continue through the summer and into next school year, Long said, with the teachers going back to work without a new contract.

“I’m not concerned yet,” Reith said. “As long as we’re still talking there’s still hope.”

Teachers came out of the 2005 strike with higher entry level salaries. Now the union – formally the Colchester Education Association – is pushing for raises for veteran teachers.

Long said Colchester teachers’ salaries compare less and less favorably to other school districts in Chittenden County the longer a teacher stays in Colchester.

“We’re looking for a settlement that makes our salaries competitive no matter where you are in your career,” he said.

Teachers also are arguing to reduce the percentage of health insurance premiums they are responsible for. Currently, the teachers pay 20 percent of their premiums, double the average of the employee responsibility in neighboring districts, Long said.

The teachers’ union is represented in negotiations by Long, Peggy Rogers, Terry Nunn and Joe Cheney.