"We had also requested that the union counter our salary proposal that we made on Labor Day, which they had never countered," Sultanik said. After state mediator Jill Leeds Rivera told the board that the union was not countering the salary proposal and not responding to the new strike-related proposals, "she suspended the talks," Sultanik said.
Rob Broderick, a staffer with the Pennsylvania State Education Association, said in a statement that "the school board came in and instead of negotiating what was on the table, threw new items onto the table related to what happens after the strike." He added: "The board is obviously more interested in punishing teachers than in negotiating."
The 512-member union's last wage proposal was for a 5.98 percent wage increase in the first year of a four-year agreement, 9.40 percent in the second year, 7.14 percent in the third and 6.90 percent in the fourth. The school board has proposed a three-year contract with increases of 2.5 percent each year.
The school board wants to eliminate the teachers' highest-tier health plan, and to institute higher premium contributions and more co-pays for the remaining two plans. The union wants to leave all three plans in place with the same percentages of premium contributions that are now in effect, and wants improvements.
Even if no agreement is reached, under Pennsylvania law the teachers must return to work by Sept. 24, in time for students to receive 180 days of instruction by June 15, 2009.
The Souderton strike is the only one in the Philadelphia area this fall, but on Wednesday, teachers in Delaware County's Springfield School District authorized their leadership to call a strike if necessary. No strike deadline has been set; a bargaining session Thursday night did not result in an agreement. No further talks have been scheduled.
Contact staff writer Dan Hardy at 610-627-2649 or dhardy@phillynews.com.
Souderton talks seen as likely to resume next week. B3.
