Crestwood Teachers Walk Today
Sep. 26–WRIGHT TOWNSHIP — With no 11th-hour developments occurring Sunday night, the Crestwood School District superintendent said teachers will begin their strike today.
“The strike is on,” said Richard Duffy on Sunday. “They have not come to an agreement.”
The Crestwood Education Association notified the district it will begin striking today because of contract disputes between the teachers union and the school board. Duffy said no classes will be held until further notice.
“I feel very badly for the students, seniors especially, because of their future plans,” said board member and district negotiator Gene Mancini Jr. on Sunday evening. “The strike is allowed by law but not required by law. So any inconveniences on the parents or children should be placed on the shoulders of the (Crestwood Education Association).”
The union blames the district for being unreasonable and offering a “trash” proposal that insists on teachers paying half of health-premium increases in a new contract.
Mancini said the district’s cost increased from about $14,000 last school year to $18,000 this year for each employee with family health benefit coverage. “How do you continually go back and ask taxpayers to spend money on others’ health-care coverage when they have a hard time paying for their own?”
Mancini said the majority of working people pay for part of their health care. “I work in a union manufacturing plant — I don’t hear anyone from that union saying “˜give the teachers what they want.’ One of the students’ parents I spoke with works for Blue Cross, and she pays for health care.”
Joe Chmiola, the Crestwood teachers union president, said even though the teachers are demanding their health care be paid for, they still have to pay for medications and co-pays for doctors appointments.
“I know a lot of these teachers elected many of these board members,” Chmiola said. “Never have they spoken of premium shares. Never were they campaign promises.”
The Pennsylvania School Boards Association says teachers can strike twice in a school year. In the first strike, the state uses June 15 to calculate a return date. If a second strike occurs, June 30 is the date the state uses for that purpose.
Duffy has said his calculations indicate teachers would have to return to the classroom Oct. 20 to fulfill the 180-day state requirement by June 15. If teachers stay out on strike until that time, every major holiday vacation in the current schedule will be cut short, Duffy said.
Chief negotiator John Holland of the Pennsylvania State Education Association has said he is not sure how long the strike will last and that the union will assess the situation day-by-day. Holland said the union will use the state’s official count to determine when teachers must return to the classroom.
Contract negotiations began about 3 1/2 years ago, before the old contract expired in August 2002.
According to the Pennsylvania State School Boards Association, Crestwood has the longest ongoing negotiations in the state. When asked what it will take for the board and teachers to come to an agreement, Chmiola said, “To be honest “¦ I have no clue. We’ve been negotiating for almost four years.”
Teachers struck for one day last November between the fall and winter sports seasons.
All extra-curricular activities will continue as normal.
Parents with questions are asked to call the district phone system at 474-6782.
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