Pennsylvania’s Neshaminy Federation of Teachers has agreed to end its nearly two-week strike, and members will return to the classroom Friday morning. But that doesn’t mean the nastiness is over.
The school board had refused to continue contract negotiations while the union was on strike, which means the disagreements about future pay raises, health insurance contributions and retroactive pay are still unresolved.
State law requires that a three-member arbitration panel be brought in to help assist negotiations, reports PhillyBurbs.com. The panel will make its non-binding recommendations by spring. If the district and the union still cannot agree, the NFT has the legal option of going on strike a second time this school year.
School board President Ritchie Webb said that a second strike would prompt the district to file an injunction with the state, asking that the teachers be ordered back to work.
“Teachers need to understand that you can strike until the cows come home, but it doesn’t create more money in the district,” Webb said. “We have limited resources.”
The community seems to have had enough of the NFT’s selfish behavior, too.
“I think what the teachers are doing is greedy and insulting to us – the taxpayers,” said Tony Brillhart, according to LowerSouthhampton.Patch.com. “We pay them to do a job, not walk in front of the schools with posters.”
“They went to strike over greed and my daughter’s education is forced to suffer because of it,” said Shawna Frey, a sergeant in the National Guard who served in Iraq.
Like we said, the strike might be over, but the dissension and hard feelings remain.
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