111005 Teachers protest contract impasse

As they drove up to the Fox Lane campus before their school day on Friday morning, students looked out the window to see about 200 faculty members congregating by the district administration building. Between 7:20 and 7:40 a.m., the teachers were exercising their right of assembly to seek action on their contract with the district. Teachers at local elementary schools in the district also voiced "their displeasure with the process so far," said Ken Kurzweil, president of the Bedford Teachers Association.

"We wanted the district to understand we have an amazing amount of solidarity in all the schools."

The contract, which expired on July 1, is signed every three years. "There's great solidarity among the teaching staff; they're really united in their disappointment," said Mr. Kurzweil. "Virtually every single teacher in the district was there.

Mr. Kurzweil said that a number of issues are still outstanding at the negotiating table. "We're very disappointed with all the negotiations that the district is still not willing to reach an agreement with. The teachers in the district are not happy at all working without a contract or starting the year without a contract."

He said that negotiations have been taking place since February.

Bob Cooper,

the district's assistant superintendent for human resources, said that the administration and the teachers have met on a number of occasions trying to find common ground on the contract. "It's still, from my view, amicable, but I know that teachers are getting a little nervous," said Mr. Cooper. "Its early November, and we are in mediation at this point. From the management point of view, we're going to come up with the most fiscally responsible plan we can. The teachers are definitely concerned also that they get a package that they can live with."

Mr. Kurzweil said he could not talk about the specifics that the teachers are seeking. "We don't negotiate publicly," he said. "We don't go in front of the school board and talk about numbers and what's in the budget and so forth. We discussed the issues at the negotiation sessions and the mediation sessions."

"We had an idea what they would be wanting," said Mr. Cooper. While also declining to mention specific numbers, he said that the "industry rate" for teacher increases tends to be 2 1/2 to 3 percent per year. "That's kind of where contracts have been settled," he said. "There are issues that are timely and typical for teachers and management to be concerned about. For us, trying to keep spending down and be as responsible as we can to the community is number one on our plate.^"

Mr. Kurzweil said that a mediator was assigned to help bring the sides together after talks broke down. "We had our first mediation session, which was also unsuccessful," he said. "There were a number of issues that were still outstanding at the negotiating table."

Mr. Cooper said that a mediator was chosen with the agreement of both parties. He said that the process may include meetings with the mediator where "we're in separate rooms and he volleys back and forth between the two rooms. Other times we're all together. It takes all kinds of combinations."

Mr. Cooper said that the issues involved were "timely and typical" for teachers and management.

"We believe in the negotiations process," said Mr. Kurzweil. "It's been successful in reaching an agreement umpteen times. This comes up almost every three years, and we've always been able to reach a fair agreement with the district. Negotiations are a give and take process."

He said that he has personally been involved in negotiations since 1982.

In 2002, with the help of a mediator and a marathon bargaining session, the Bedford Central School District was able to reach a contract agreement with the Bedford Teachers Association that provided for moderate salary increases as well as new teacher contributions toward their health insurance.

The 2002 three-year contract provided a salary increase of 3.3 percent, 3.4 percent,. and 3.5 percent for teachers over the contract period. However, it also provided for a percentage contribution by teachers toward their health insurance, a cost-sharing provision that was a primary goal of the school district.

During those negotiations, teachers received salary increases but were also ask to pay a greater percentage contribution to their health insurance. For the 2002 contract, the parties engaged in more than 20 sessions. The contract was carved out in late November, when the mediator met with both sides in a nonstop bargaining session in the central administration building that lasted about 14 hours, from 1 p.m. to 3 a.m., when an agreement was finally reached.

"Negotiations are never easy," said Mr. Kurzweil. "It's a give-and-take process. Ultimately, we believe we'll get a fair contract, but we're frustrated that we're already into November and the district has not been willing to reach what we believe is a fair contract."