Township Teacher Contract Still Not Settled

A sea of red shirts are now a familiar staple at Gloucester Township school board meetings.

District teachers turn out in force wearing red to remind the board and the public they've been working under the terms of an agreement that expired almost a year ago.

Angel McDermott, president of the Gloucester Township Education Association, the teachers union, said both sides have met with a fact finder in recent weeks, but the impasse is not settled.

"We're now in a holding pattern waiting for a written report from the fact finder," McDermott said. "It is a waiting game, we're hanging in there doing what we need to do to underscore the importance we play in this district so the board is aware of all we do, not just during contractual hours."

McDermott said her members may not be able to recoup losses over the yearlong negotiation for a new contract.

"When you pullout the health-benefit money, we’re losing a substantial amount of money throughout the year," she said, referring to contributions to heath benefits that started this school year. "We are losing money. No matter what kind of raise we get, it’s not going to replace what we’ve lost.

"This year we are paying either 1.5 percent of our salary, or a prescribed  percentage of the premium, whichever is more. Next year, the percentage of premium doubles. Like this year, I’m paying 7 percent of the premium next year 14, year after that 21, then 28 percent.  After four years we can renegotiate health-care payments."

School board President William Collins said Friday the sticking points of the negotiation are items that bog down most negotiations.

"The main sticking point is what all contracts are about, money," Collins said Friday afternoon. "The fact finder was working on three other school districts before ours. We hope to have his findings within 60 to 90 days. This is the first time we've negotiated a contract since we had the 2-percent cap."

Collins said the district could go above the state-mandated cap for budget increases, but it would require a public referendum. He said the district is "absolutely not" going to do that.

For previous coverage on the teachers' contract, see:

• Teachers Protest Lack of Contract Outside Board Meeting
• Deadlocked: Gloucester Twp. Teacher Negotiations Still at Impasse

CORRECTION: Health care contributions are not a part of the current teacher-contract negotiations. A previous version of this story was incorrect.