U-CF teacher contract negotiators announce fact-finding mission
07/13/2015 09:05AM ● By J. ChamblessBy John
Chambless
Staff Writer
Talks between the Unionville-Chadds
Ford School Board and the district's teachers continue to drag on
after the June 30 expiration of the current teachers' contract.
The
two sides are reportedly at a sticking point, resulting in a
fact-finding report being requested late last month. A release from
the district negotiating team on June 23 said, “While we are still
trying to work out some specific differences in contract language,
the primary areas of disagreement revolve around salary and benefits.
The district's position is that the current proposal on the table
from the Unionville-Chadds Ford Education Association, or UCFEA, is
at a total value well in excess of what is sustainable and
financially viable.”
The district negotiations team includes Vic
Dupuis, Gregg Lindner and Keith Knauss of the school board.
The
independent and non-binding fact-finding report, organized by the
Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board, can help to crystallize both
sides of a contract dispute and perhaps lead to a path toward
settlement. If no compromise is reached through the fact-finding
process, the report is made public by the Labor Relations Board, and
negotiations continue.
A late May “Public Resource Document”
posted by the school district is still on the district's website, and
indicates that the UCFEA proposal “calls for total cost increases
that will average 4.6 percent each year for three years.”
On
June 15, the school board and administration approved a 2015-16
budget that will result in a weighted average millage increase of
2.28 percent for families in the district. That is divided into a
2.08 percent increase in Chester County and a 3.11 percent increase
in Delaware County, averaging out to an additional $145 to be paid by
Chester County residents this year. The district's fund balance will
be depleted by $354,249.
While the budget is not directly tied to
the teachers' contract, it does reflect the fiscal attitude of the
board and administration. The UCFEA counters that, as one of the
wealthiest school districts in the state, the contract terms could be
better. The latest figures available indicate that the UCFEA is
asking for three-year average salary increases of 4.05 percent each
year, with three-year average total costs of compensation, including
benefits, of 4.62 percent each year. The school district is
countering with four-year average salary increases of 1.71 percent
per year, with four-year average total costs of compensation,
including benefits, of 2.13 percent per year. More current proposed
figures have not been disclosed because the negotiations are
ongoing.
To contact Staff Writer John Chambless, email
[email protected].