Length of Work Day a Point of Contention in Neshaminy Negotiations

Once again, no progress was made toward a new teachers contract during a negotiation session between the Neshaminy School Board and Neshaminy Federation of Teachers. 

The meeting between the two sides was described as "distressing" by board President Ritchie Webb due to what he called the NFT's "unwillingness to even try to negotiate."

"It’s like they just mailed it in tonight," Ritchie said.

In a statement made following the meeting from the NFT, the lack of progress was reiterated, in addition to noting that the school board's "willingness to compromise and negotiate fairly" was "absent."

During the meeting, the school board presented the NFT with its latest offer in writing, again proposing to agree as part of a contract to the twelve items that were part of the , which was signed off by the board's attorney, Chuck Sweet and the NFT attorney, Tom Jennings.

However, the NFT considered this latest offer "a proposal in name only."

"With a single exception, the document contained the identical substantive proposals that have been on the table for years," according to the union's statement. The union added that the only change was the removal of non-economic language that the school board had previously "threatened to remove if the federation did not simply capitulate with its demands in their entirety."

This, according to the union, is "symptomatic of the board continuing the 'our way or no way' approach toward bargaining."

“While some people may think the board is managing this situation properly, it is becoming increasingly obvious that it is clueless when it comes to bargaining,” NFT President Louise Boyd said.

“There is simply no way our members will capitulate to the board's 'take it or leave it' tactics so they’d serve the public well if they’d stop playing games with the education of the students of Neshaminy and get serious at the bargaining table. We’re just weeks away from the start of a new school year and we can’t even begin to think about returning to normal work relations under these circumstances,” she stated.

According to Webb, the point of contention preventing progress is one item: the language surrounding the length of the work day. He said that the school board proposed an eight hour work day and the NFT wants to keep the current seven hour work day. The arbitrator proposed a compromise of a seven and a half hour work day.

While the school board agreed with the arbitrator for a seven and a half hour work day, the NFT "refused to compromise," Webb said.

"This issue remains unsettled, and prevents agreement on the list of twelve items," he stated.

This action by the union, Webb said, is perhaps "being done as a way of bettering their position as they seek a judge’s intervention, which is unfortunate because such a strategy helps neither side and is doomed to failure."

The union and school board appeared before a Bucks County judge in June where teachers sought the court’s involvement in supervising and scheduling negotiations.

According to Phillyburbs, Judge Robert Baldi denied the request but left open the possibility of such a motion being petitioned to the court again if July’s contract talks failed to produce any results. The deadline to file the request is August 3, which would have both parties back in court by August 14.

The school board asked to schedule a negotiation session September 6. The NFT refused to respond to the mediator Monday evening, but said it would respond to the mediator in writing this week, Webb said.

Both sides are scheduled to meet again August 8.