NFT President Addresses Recent Developments in Contract Talks with District

Prior to , Neshaminy Federation of Teachers President Louise Boyd held a news conference to share the developments in contract talks with the district.

First, Boyd said that the last two negotiation sessions showed that both sides are able to sit down together to talk and respect the process, which she said the union found "encouraging."

"There is still work to be done to reach an agreement, but we are encouraged that both sides seem to be working toward that goal," Boyd continued.

With the next negotiation session scheduled for Monday, August 29, Boyd said the process is moving forward and that both sides are "not that far apart when it comes to the numbers."

"When both sides move past the rhetoric and get the numbers-crunchers into the room, we are going to see that the distance separating us is not that great," Boyd said of the union's contract proposal and the board's contract proposal.

According to Boyd, the school board’s $4.8 million estimate is cumulative for the four years there has not been a contract the cost of teachers' retroactive step level advances whereas the union’s $1.2 million estimate would be an annual cost to the district to re-align teachers and recognize their years of service.

"Their $4.8 million over four years and our $1.2 million annually shows we are not so far apart," she said.

The teachers have offered concessions on compensation and benefits, as well as "significant" savings to the district in the form of $2 million toward the cost of health insurance, Boyd said. In the union's last contract proposal, teachers offered to contribute a fixed rate toward health care premiums that the union calculated to be about 8 percent. However, the would have teachers contribute 20 percent toward the premium.

"The board holds the solution to the stalemate in which we find ourselves. Teachers have been willing to negotiate any and all issues for the last three years, but the school board has too often chosen to present ultimatums," Boyd said.

In addition, Boyd said some board members and members of the community do not share the union's goal of reaching an agreement, including "lame-duck" board member William O'Connor who she said "continues to take pot-shots at Neshaminy teachers," mocks the union's efforts to reach out to community members and circulates some of the misinformation through his blog.

"I have never taken a pot-shot at teachers on my blog or Facebook page as I truly respect the profession. [Boyd] accuses me of spreading misinformation, yet she has never been able to prove a single one of her accusations," O'Connor said Wednesday in an e-mail.

"These diversions are just another attempt by Mr. O’Connor and his small group of anti-teacher allies to distract the community and the school board from the ongoing contract talks," Boyd said.

O'Connor said that his issue is with union leadership, "especially Louise Boyd, at the way they have misled their people and mismanaged these negotiations since day one." 

Boyd said that the union remains committed to the bargaining process and believe that talks have "reached a point where real progress is possible," despite O'Connor's "sniping."