Teachers file charge against school board Unfair practices alleged over stalled Warren Tech contract. Saturday, June 09, 2007 • By ANDREA EILENBERGER • The Express-Times Still without a contract, the Warren County Tech Education Association is filing an unfair labor practice charge accusing the school board of refusing to ratify an agreement both sides reached in January. The agreement outlines changes that will be made to the existing contract. The association ratified it last month and is frustrated the school board hasn't done the same. "The problem is right now they've got an obligation as a matter of law to vote on the changes to the contract," said John Ropars, New Jersey Education Association field representative. The association represents about 40 school employees, including teachers and secretaries, who have been working without a contract since June 2006. The sides negotiated for a year and a half. According to the charge, the school board sent the association a draft of a new collective bargaining agreement for review. The draft included various spelling and housekeeping errors, which were later corrected. It also contained language that wasn't included in the memorandum of agreement and omitted other language from the expired agreement that the parties didn't agree to during negotiations, the charge states. Despite being advised of these errors and receiving requests for correction, school board President Harold Warne, on behalf of the board, "refused to make the corrections," the charge alleges. Warne "has insisted that the language changes proposed in the draft agreement must remain" and refused to present the memorandum of agreement to the full board for ratification, the charge alleges. "We're not willing to allow them to make unilateral changes to the contract," Ropars said. He declined to elaborate on those changes. Warne declined to comment and referred questions to the board's attorney, Allan Dzwilewski. Dzwilewski did not return a message seeking comment Friday. The charge was mailed Wednesday to the New Jersey Public Employment Relations Commission. Once the commission receives the charge, it is docketed and assigned to a staff agent. The staff agent schedules a conference in which the parties discuss their positions and attempt to reach a resolution. If they fail to settle the issue, the unfair practices director reviews the allegations and could issue a complaint if violations appear to have been made. Then, a hearing examiner will conduct a hearing and issue a recommendation. That could be a dismissal, affirmation of a violation, a suggested remedy or other action. Either party could appeal the decision to the employee relations commission. Reporter Andrea Eilenberger can be reached at 610-258-7171 or by e-mail at aeilenberger@express-times.com.