Teachers rally for new contract
Union hopes display of unity will move talks forward
BY CHARLES W. KIM
Staff Writer

PHOTOS BY FARRAH MAFFAI staff Picketing teachers take their message to the South Brunswick Board of Education Tuesday.

About 200 South Brunswick teachers expressed support for their contract negotiating team and the union Tuesday afternoon.

Roughly one-quarter of the district’s 800 teachers’ union members marched around the Board of Education office parking lot on Executive Drive while their representatives met with board members and a state mediator to negotiate a new, three-year contract.

"A rally like this today will send a strong message to the Board of Education that we are not playing games," New Jersey Education Association Vice President Joyce Powell said to a cheering crowd.

The teachers have been working without a contract since July.

Stacey Lindes, an Indian Fields teacher, walks the picket line at the South Brunswick Board of Education building Tuesday.

South Brunswick Education Association President Sylvia Lee said there were "significant issues" separating the board and the union in the negotiations.

"It hasn’t been easy, but it has been worth it. We are not ashamed to ask for a fair and competitive contract. We will demand a good contract for each one of you. You have earned it," Lee said to the teachers protesting.

NJEA spokesperson Steve Baker said neither side could disclose the details of the negotiations, but the issues did involve workers’ compensation and benefits.

Several of the teachers walking around the parking lot said one of the issues dealt with the way more experienced teachers are compensated.

"I could have left (for more money) three times," one male teacher said.

According to the teachers, the district’s average pay for teachers is well below the county and state average.

Powell said the median salary in the district places it in 22nd place out of the 25 districts in Middlesex County, while the pay for the superintendent is one of the top three in the county.

"You have to fight for your professional future," Powell said.

Board President Bob Long said he could not disclose the details of the negotiations, but that he is willing to work with the teachers to resolve the situation.

Powell said the mediation taking place is part of a new law signed by Gov. James McGreevey in July. That law prohibits the board from imposing a contract on the teachers. It was created to prevent incidents like the teachers strike in Middletown in Monmouth County, which occurred in 2001 after the school board there imposed a new contract.

That strike led to teachers being jailed for not abiding by a return-to-work order.

While the mood seemed more civil in South Brunswick, some of the teachers were upset with the impasse.

"Forget the referendum," one teacher yelled at the building where the negotiations were taking place.

The school district is hoping to pass a $46 million building referendum on Dec. 9 that will allow several of the older schools to be improved and rid the district of trailer classrooms.

"You can’t pass it without us!" another teacher yelled.

A superconciliator will be assigned to the mediation if the parties cannot agree, according to Powell. The superconciliator will have the authority to order 24-hour discussions if needed, she said.

Baker said rallies and demon­strations are not uncommon in New Jersey.

"There are about 100 districts operating without a contract," he said.

According to Baker, there will likely be several meetings before a solution is found.