Teacher-board
relations worsen
Oxford contract dispute. Release
of proposal riles union.
Thursday, March 23, 206 • BY LYNN OLANOFF
• The Express-Times
OXFORD TWP. | A decision by the school
board to publicly release the terms of its latest contract
offer to teachers has prompted a testy exchange between the
two sides.
In a two-page statement rebuking the
local and state education associations, the board said
Oxford teachers in January turned down a resolution to their
18-month expired contract because they refused a deduction
ranging from $10 and $25 per paycheck for dependents' health
care.
The board's January offer also included a
14 percent salary increase over three years, according to
its statement.
The contract is still outstanding, and
the conflict between the teachers and the board came to a
public head Wednesday.
"The association is disheartened by the
attacks on our credibility of our negotiating team and the
dedication of our staff," Oxford Education Association
President Laura DiRenzo said at Wednesday's board
meeting.
She and other association members
declined to discuss the health benefits and salary details
in the board's statement, saying their contract requires
those details to be confidential during negotiations. The
association is "very disappointed" the board publicized
details, DiRenzo said.
According to the board's statement, the
teachers agreed through a handshake to a board offer in
January that included the payments for dependents' health
care. The New Jersey Education Association persuaded the
teachers to turn down the contract, the board statement
says.
"The NJEA doesn't want the health
benefits touched and is attempting to use strong-arm tactics
in this small district," the board statement says. "The
Oxford BOE is committed to negotiating a total compensation
package (that) addresses the rising costs of the taxpayers
for the teachers' health benefits by having the teachers
pick up a small percentage of that cost for their
dependents."
DiRenzo said the teachers never agreed to
that offer, though their negotiating team was "encouraged"
by it. The entire association, however, overwhelmingly
rejected it, she said.
After continued impasse, the state has
appointed a fact finder to assist in the negotiations. The
board and the association met Tuesday for five hours,
advancing the fact finding, board member Robert Hibbett
said.
A few residents attending Wednesday's
board meeting said they thought the board's offer was
reasonable and asked the teachers if the board's statement
contained the correct figures. The teachers declined to
respond.
Reporter Lynn Olanoff can be reached at 908-475-8044 or by
e-mail at lolanoff@express-times.com.
© 2006 The Express-Times. Used with
permission.
|