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Cumberland Valley Teacher Talks Dissolve
   posted 9:12 am Thu January 24, 2008 - Cumberland County
abc27 News - Cumberland Valley Teacher Talks Dissolve
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Contract talks in the Cumberland Valley School District ended before they really even began Wednesday night. Could a strike be looming?





abc27 News myTAKE - What's Your Opinion?Though there are not any immediate plans to strike, the teachers' union says striking is on the table.





On Wednesday night, the Cumberland Valley School Board and Cumberland Valley Education Association (the teachers' union) met for their 13th bargaining session. It lasted less than an hour. Befor the meeting, the teachers' union rallied outside the Cumberland Valley School District building, demanding a fair contract.





Teachers want a more than 21% pay raise over four years. The school board is offering 17.5%. Healthcare contributions are also a sticking point. Teachers want to contribute between 4 and 10%. The board says 4.5 to 11%.





Previously, the school board offered that once a pay raise was agreed upon, it would retroactive to July 1st -- when teachers' contracts expired. On Wednesday night, the board took that off the table for good.





School board negotiator Ken Shur told abc27, "We believe that the community understands that is a fair offer and we are quite frankly at a loss at what the union does not understand."





Jay Foerster, the union spokesperson, responded, "We don't feel any respect. What we're asking doesn't cost a tax increase. Their offer doesn't take into account inflation. Striking's on the table.  As much as I hate to say it and as much as we're going to look like the bad people in this situation."



No new negotiations are scheduled. It will be up to a mediator to do that. The school board believes that could happen sometime next month.

Latest Comment on Cumberland Valley Teacher Talks Dissolve
wgs779
The Union cries that they fear the students will be hurt because all the good teachers will leave if the School Board doesn't give in to the Union's demands. In the next breath they throw around the threat of a strike! Who do they think would be hurt by a teacher strike???? By the way, for those who are tempted to believe the scare tactics about the good teachers leaving if the demands are not me, just look at St Pat's School in Carlisle. They were just designated a Blue Ribbon School in The No Child Left Behind Program -- a national level designation that no other school in the area deserved. St Pat's has well qualified, dedicated teachers and guess what the salary scale is at St Pat's -- about 2/3 of what it is in the Cumberland Valley School District. So much for that Union scare tactic! Time for the union to get to the negotiating table and settle this now!

     
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