TEACHERS UNION IGNORING CONTRACT TALKS?

It seems like just yesterday that the South Orange-Maplewood Education Association, our district's teachers union, signed a new contract, but it will expire in only a matter of months.

And apparently the SOMEA is taking its time getting into contract talks.

PATCH reports that district officials Monday night complained that they were not getting any feedback from the union with the contract set to expire in June.

PATCH writes:

Sandra Karriem, chairperson of the South Orange - Maplewood Board of Education's negotiating task force, said at Monday's board meeting that the South Orange Maplewood Education Association (SOMEA) teachers' union had not yet responded to the board's overtures to begin negotiations on the current teachers' contract, which will expire on June 30. 

Since September, Superintendent Brian Osborne has issued monthly reminders at board meetings that the current contract will expire in June of this year. Monday night, Karriem said she thought the public deserved to know where the negotiations stand.

The board is "deeply committed" to reaching a mutually satiscfactory contract and the task force has been meeting regularly with a consultant since September to discuss the process and formulate a proposal, said Karriem.

The current contract required the board and SOMEA to begin negotiations by Feb. 1, 2013, a deadline that has passed.

You may recall the teachers union received extra time off on conference days and other give backs in exchange for a slight increase in health insurance benefits for its last contract. The union has also taken to such in-your-face protests as leaving bulletin boards in the school blank and sporting pro-union t-shirts on the job, which is their right.

Let's hope these talks go easier than last time.